Hidden Truths
by ShrinkingViolet713
Summary: Set in season 2, Lindsay is dating Chris Kelton, but she is hiding a terrible secret. Rated PG-13 for violence and language. Please R/R!
1. Default Chapter

Bobby glanced at the clock absently, not really caring what it said but looking because he was stuck and he hoped it might provide the miracle he needed to get his client acquitted. Instead of the answer from above Bobby was hoping for though, the clock simply informed him that it was 8:47. He could hear Lindsay outside working on a drug case. He knew she hated them but she had been the only one free to take this case. Bobby shook his head, both in frustration at his case and in admiration for Lindsay, doing her best with a case she found despicable. Bobby bent back over his deposition. He didn't pay any attention to the office door opening and closing.

Lindsay was in the library pouring over a book when she felt goose bumps rise on her arms. Without turning around she knew who had entered the office. She flinched a little when a pair of arms slipped around her waist, briefly brushing against a bruise on her stomach.

"Hey baby," the cool voice offered no comfort or sign of caring. "Aren't you ready to go home yet?"

Lindsay shook her head. She wanted to stay in the office for as long as possible, even though the case was a simple one and she didn't need to work as hard as she was. "I'll be a few hours."

"I don't see why you work so fucking hard to free the scum of the Earth."

Lindsay sighed and repeated what Bobby had told her every day for the past year. "I defend the guilty to save the innocent, Chris. And if the police would stop searching illegally and forcing confessions then there would be no need for defense lawyers."

She knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it was out of her mouth. She found herself spun around as Chris gripped her arms tightly and his eyes, so hard, so cold, bore into hers. "You better watch what you say, Lindsay. I think these people are starting to rub off on you. Is that it? Bobby getting close to you?"

"You know that's not true, Chris," Lindsay hated the plea in her voice. "I believe in what I do. It's important."

"Really? So fucking important that you spend all day and half the damn night here fighting to save rapists and murderers? Or is it more important to spend time alone with your boss? I know you Lindsay, you're trying to sleep your way to the top, aren't you?" Chris shook her once, hard. 

"There's nothing between Bobby and I, Chris. We're friends and associates. That's all." There were tears pooling in Lindsay's eyes, she couldn't help them and she hated them.

"Liar." A viscous slap crossed her cheek, leaving behind a nasty red mark that Lindsay knew would become a bruise that she's have to hide, like the others, and causing her to bite her lip, tasting blood in her mouth. "I've seen you look at him. All the time you're spending here late at night, you think I don't know what you're doing, whore? Where is he? Did you hide him when I came in?"

"Bobby's not here," Lindsay whimpered, knowing that if Chris found out she was lying it would be worse but praying he didn't realize the truth.

"You're damn lucky for that. I guess I'll just have to remind you who you belong to."

With that, Chris backhanded her, then threw her down. She fell into a bookshelf, sending it crashing over and causing the books to rain down on her head. As she fell her ankle twisted under her and she let out a pained cry. She felt a foot connect with her thigh and a spiteful voice taunt, "You won't be spending any more late nights in this office or you'll pay."

Lindsay whimpered, then curled into herself as much as was comfortable when she heard the door to Bobby's office slam open.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked storming into the main office and seeing Lindsay crumpled on the floor with Chris standing over her. He looked from one to the other and took a menacing step toward Kelton. "Get out of this office and stay out."

"She tripped," Chris protested. Furious, Bobby leapt forward and grabbed Chris by the shirt, slamming him against the wall.

"Stay out of my office and stay away from her."

"Stay out of this," Chris tried to shrug Bobby off but was unsuccessful. "What happens between a couple is between them and none of your damn business."

"When it involves Lindsay, it is my business." Bobby slammed him against the wall again, then dragged him across the room and opened the door with his free hand. "If you ever come anywhere near her again, you'll regret it." With that, Bobby threw Chris out the door and slammed it, locking it behind him. Bobby stared out the door for a moment, making sure that Kelton left. A muffled sob from the library had him hurrying back to Lindsay 

Bobby squatted down and paused, unsure of what do to. Lindsay's hands covered her face, muffling the occasional sobs which she emitted. Bobby reached out, but when his hands touched hers, Lindsay shrank back against the fallen shelf.

"Linds," Bobby made sure to keep his anger at Kelton out of his voice as he tried to comfort his friend. "It's okay Lindsay, it's just me. You're safe now."

Lindsay tentatively lowered her hands and for the first time that day, Bobby got a good look at her face. Her lip was newly split and blood trickled down her chin. He could see that her right eye was swollen and there was a small cut on her left cheek. Her ankle was twisted at an unusual angle beneath her. Bobby reached out again, slowly this time, and took Lindsay's hands in his own.

"I'm taking you to the hospital."

Lindsay shook her head. "I'm okay."

"You're bleeding," Bobby protested. At Lindsay's confused look, Bobby took his handkerchief and gently wiped at the blood trickling from her lip. Lindsay gasped in pain and Bobby was immediately contrite. "Oh honey, I'm sorry. Here." He handed the handkerchief over and Lindsay gingerly held it to her lip. 

Lindsay looked up at Bobby, scared. "It's not his fault, Bobby. I made him angry. Chris doesn't like me working late. He's just jealous because he loves me so much."

Bobby had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. He couldn't believe what she was saying. But his first priority was to get Lindsay to a hospital. 

"Put your arms around my neck." When Lindsay obeyed, Bobby carefully stood, pulling her up with him. Lindsay tried to stand, but nearly went down again as pain shot through her ankle. She couldn't stop the sobbing gasp of pain or the tears that rolled down her cheeks without her permission. Bobby caught her and lifted her again into his arms, carrying her into his office. He settled her on the couch and grabbed his suit coat and keys from his desk.

"I don't want to go to the hospital Bobby. I don't need it."

"You need to get that ankle looked at. And you might need stitches for your lip."

"My lip doesn't need stitches," Lindsay argued.

"We'll let the doctor decide that." Bobby picked her up and carried her to his car. During the ride to St. Anne's, neither of them spoke. Bobby was furious. He'd worked so hard to boost Lindsay's self esteem up, now her boyfriend, someone who should have been trying to make her feel better, was hurting her. But most of all, Bobby was furious at himself for not noticing that Lindsay was being hurt. 

Lindsay stared out the window, hoping that somehow Bobby would realize that she didn't want to go to the hospital, that he'd turn the car around and take her back to the office. If they went to the hospital, there would be a report and Chris would be mad. She'd rather wrap her ankle and tend to her other cuts and bruises herself. It would be better, she knew it. But she wasn't that lucky. Bobby pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. He looked over at Lindsay and gently rested a hand over hers. 

"You're going to be okay, Linds."

Lindsay gave him a doubtful look, not believing him. Bobby picked her up from the seat and carried her into the hospital. A doctor and nurse took her into an exam room and kept Bobby outside asking him questions and making him fill out paperwork. 

Lindsay sat on the gurney where Bobby had set her and looked at the nurse who was attending to her. Lindsay knew the nurse thought that Bobby had hurt her, it was obvious by the questions she asked over and over. Lindsay told her the same thing every time, that she'd had an accident. 

"Your boyfriend is the one who brought you in," the nurse asked, even though she was sure she knew the answer already.

"No, Bobby's a friend. We work together."

"Lindsay, I'm going to bring a social worker down to talk to you, okay?"

Lindsay shook her head as tears of frustration filled her eyes. "No! I don't need to see a social worker. I fell down, that's all. I just want to go home."

The nurse sighed and checked the box that Lindsay refused to talk to the social worker. She wrapped Lindsay's ankle in a bandage and gave her instructions on what to do. 

When the doctor finally came out of the room half an hour after going in, Bobby was beyond worried. He rushed up to the doctor and spoke quickly. "How is Lindsay? Is she okay?"

"Her lip didn't need stitches but her ankle is sprained very badly. She needs to stay off of it for the next three days. The other bruises should heal in a few days. And the baby is fine."


	2. Hidden Truths Chapter 2

Bobby's jaw dropped. 'The baby? Lindsay was pregnant?' Aloud he asked the doctor, "Can I see her?"

"We're actually going to release her right now. She should have someone with her to help in case she needs anything."

"She will. I'll stay with her," Bobby promised and walked into the exam room to see for himself that Lindsay was okay.

Lindsay looked up when the door opened and when she saw Bobby, her head bowed to look at the ground. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "You shouldn't have had to see this."

"Don't worry about me," Bobby comforted as he sat in front of her. He smiled gently. "You're pregnant?" When Lindsay just nodded, Bobby continued. "It's Kelton's?" Again Lindsay nodded. "Does he know?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I'm waiting for the right time to tell him. He's been so stressed out lately, he's been losing a lot of cases."

"Are you afraid he'll hurt you again when you tell him?" Bobby hated to ask, but he had to.

Lindsay opened her mouth, then closed it. The fact that she seemed to have to think about it for a minute told Bobby the true answer. "No," the answer was more of a question than a statement though. "I need to catch him at a good time, when he's not worried about a case. It's not the baby's fault that things are a mess right now, but he deserves both of his parents."

Bobby nodded, pretending to understand, and moved so he was sitting next to her on the hospital bed, his legs hanging over the side. "Has he hit you before, Lindsay?"

Lindsay looked at the ground. She didn't want to tell Bobby that he had. She didn't want him, or anybody for that matter, to know what was really going on. 

"Lindsay?" Bobby spoke softly and insistently. He wanted an answer from her but again, her silence told him what he'd hoped wasn't the case.

Lindsay nodded slowly, still unable to look at her friend. "It's not his fault Bobby. He doesn't like me working with people who can hurt me."

'No, he'd rather hurt you himself,' Bobby thought furiously. 

"And he loves me Bobby. He's jealous of how much time I spend at the office. And of you. He thinks that we have something going. I've told him that we don't, but he doesn't believe me."

"If he loves you Lindsay, he wouldn't hurt you."

"He just has a temper, that's all. And I set him off. If I didn't say those things, if I didn't work so much, if I didn't make him mad...I make him do it."

"You make him hit you," Bobby asked, not believing word of it.

"If I...if I could just..." Lindsay trailed off, unsure of how she could stop Chris. "It started slowly. And when he starts winning again, it'll get better. He's the only man who's ever loved me, Bobby. I hate that I'm such a failure. I wish I could make him happy."

Unsure of what to say, Bobby slid an arm around Lindsay's shoulders and drew her into a gentle hug. "You're not a failure, Linds. You're a beautiful, smart, loving woman. Any guy would be lucky to have you in his life."

Lindsay shook her head. Chris had done such a good job of beating her down mentally and emotionally that she believed everything he'd told her. "Chris was the first man I ever slept with. And I'm lousy at it, Bobby. I'm lucky that he loves me, that he's willing to put up with it. Professionally, Lindsay the lawyer is doing great. Personally, I've always been a mess."

Bobby decided that this was a problem best tackled not in a hospital but somewhere more private.

"You don't seem like a mess to me, and you never have." Bobby decided to switch tactics. "The doctor said that the baby's fine," he tried instead and was rewarded with a small smile.

"I'm glad," Lindsay sighed, relieved. 

"How far along are you?" Bobby was trying to find the best way to convince Lindsay to get help, even though after what Kelton had done to her, Bobby didn't imagine that it would take much convincing.

"Six weeks. Almost seven." Lindsay leaned against the wall tiredly and closed her eyes. "Bobby?"

"Yes?" Bobby rubbed her leg supportively.

"I want to leave, please."

"Okay. The doctor said that you can go home when you're ready."

Bobby gently lifted Lindsay into his arms and set her in the wheel chair the nurse had left in the room. He wheeled her out to his car and started back home. 

"Bobby? Can you just take me back to the office, please?"

Bobby's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that Lindsay was thinking of working after what had happened. "No Lindsay. You're going home to rest and heal."

Tears of shame filled Lindsay's eyes. "I can't go home."

"Why not? If you're worried about Kelton, I'll stay on the couch. He won't hurt you, I won't let him."

Though touched by Bobby's words, Lindsay shook her head. "I live with Chris. He won't let me in. When I make him angry, Chris locks me out."

"What?!" Bobby exclaimed as he realized the real reason Lindsay had spent so many nights at the office. "He locks you out of your own home?"

Lindsay nodded. "To punish me."

"That bastard! Then you can stay at my place tonight."

"I can't do that, Bobby. Don't you understand that that will just make Chris more angry? It's better if I stay at the office. I can tell him that I fell asleep working on the case. He'll be upset that I put so much effort into defending drug dealers, but he'd be furious if I spent the night with you."

"I'll sleep on the couch."

Lindsay shook her head. "I just want to go to the office Bobby. Please? He'll let me in the apartment tomorrow, if I don't make any mistakes."

Bobby didn't want to give in, but hearing Lindsay beg and realizing just how scared she was had him turning the car around. 

When they arrived, Bobby offered to carry her up to the office but Lindsay insisted on using her new crutches. She pointed out that Bobby couldn't carry her everywhere and she needed to start getting used to the crutches. Bobby insisted that she get settled on his couch.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Lindsay shook her head. She'd been planning on grabbing fast food on the way home that night, but hadn't made it that far and now she was more tired than hungry. "I'd rather go to sleep, really."

Bobby shook his head firmly. "The baby needs food. What sounds good? Pizza? Chinese?" Lindsay shrugged, not caring what they ate. "Okay then, pizza. I know this great little place a few blocks away, Luciano's. I know the owner and his wife. They have the best pizza in Boston. I'll give them a call, then go pick it up since they don't deliver, okay?" Lindsay shrugged. Whatever Bobby wanted was fine. He ordered a cheese pizza and left Lindsay on the couch to rest with both his office door and the main door locked behind him while he left to pick it up.

Once on the road, Bobby turned not toward the pizza parlor, but toward the house of the one person he hoped could talk some sense into Lindsay and make her realize that she needed to leave Kelton for good.


	3. Hidden Truths Chapter 3

Bobby pulled up to the apartment building and parallel parked his car quickly before jumping out. He ran inside and up the two flights of stairs. He banged on the apartment door loudly and shouted, "Come on, open up! I know you're in there!"

A very sleepy Helen who was wearing a pair of blue scrub pants and a gray tank top opened the door. Though it was only 10:45 at night, Helen had been deep in dreamland and looking forward to actually getting more than eight hours of sleep that night. More than a little surprised to find him at her door in the middle of the night, Helen asked, "Bobby? What are you doing here?" 

Bobby pushed through the door and slammed it behind him, glaring at Helen. "How long have you known?"

Helen blinked, still half asleep. "Known what? You're not making any sense Bobby."

"About Kelton," Bobby spit out.

"Chris Kelton? Lindsay's boyfriend?" Helen asked. Either she was far too sleepy for this or Bobby still wasn't making sense. "What about him?"

The red haze that had been in front of Bobby's eyes began to fade. Maybe Helen didn't know. If she did, Bobby couldn't imagine that Kelton would still be working or even alive. "You don't know, do you?"

Helen huffed out a sigh. The sleep cobwebs were fading and she was getting annoyed. "What don't I know?"

Bobby rubbed a hand over his face. He sat down on Helen's couch and told her what had happened that night, Chris's hitting Lindsay, Bobby throwing him out, and Bobby and Lindsay's subsequent trip to the hospital. The only thing he excluded was Lindsay's pregnancy. He had a feeling that Lindsay would want to tell Helen herself.

Helen's eyes snapped with fury and before Bobby had even finished, she'd jumped up and pulled on a pair of ancient running shoes that were sitting by the front door.

"That bastard! I'll kill him. I had a feeling that something was going on, Lindsay's canceled our last two dinners. Where is she now?"

"I left her locked in the office, I told her I was getting dinner."

"You left her alone?!" Helen yelled, angry now at both Bobby and Kelton.

"In my office with both doors locked. He can't get her there. What are you doing?" Bobby asked as Helen ran into her bedroom. She emerged carrying a Wal-mart bag that was full of something.

Helen gave Bobby a withering look. "What's she going to sleep in? Her suit? I'm bringing her pajamas."

Bobby nodded. "I'll take them to her."

Helen continued to the closet and grabbed a zip up sweatshirt. "I'm coming with."

"Helen." Bobby warned.

"Bobby." Helen gave him a _look_. "I'm coming."

Bobby glanced at his watch and realized that he didn't have time to argue. "Fine. But don't upset her."

"I won't."

Bobby and Helen hurried down to his car, then to pick up the pizza which was waiting for them. When they arrived at the office, Bobby unlocked the outer door then let them into his office. Lindsay was lying on the couch, sleeping. While Bobby went to the closet to get a blanket for her, Helen sat on the edge of the couch and gently shook her friend's shoulder. "Linds? Lindsay wake up."

"Helen?" Lindsay opened her eyes, confused how her friend had gotten to Bobby's office.

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" Lindsay asked as she pushed herself to a sitting position. She glanced at Bobby then and sighed. "Bobby got you."

Helen nodded. "Wanna tell me what's been going on?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Not really."

Bobby set the pizza box on the coffee table, put a slice on a paper towel and handed it to Lindsay.

"I'm not hungry," she argued. 

"You have to eat," Bobby insisted. "I'm going to go get something to drink, leave you two to talk for a few minutes."

Helen nodded and Lindsay leaned against the arm of the couch. Maybe she could keep from telling Helen. It wouldn't be easy but maybe she could distract her. Lindsay waited until Bobby left, but before she could say anything Helen said accusingly, "He hurt you. Why didn't you tell me?"

Lindsay shrugged and changed topics not so subtly. "You're going to be an auntie."

Helen looked at her, confused, then smiled. "You're pregnant?"

Lindsay nodded. "Almost seven weeks."

Helen laughed and hugged her friend. "That's great! A baby! Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Helen pulled back then and her smile faded. "Is that why you're staying with him?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No, at least the baby isn't the only reason." Lindsay leaned against the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. "You don't understand, Helen."

Her voice sounded so empty and lifeless that it scared Helen. She set Lindsay's piece of pizza back on the table and took her friend's hand. "Understand what? I won't understand anything unless you talk to me."

Lindsay didn't look at her friend but continued to watch the ceiling tiles as if they held the secrets of the universe. "You've always had guys falling all over themselves to be with you. Chris is the only one who's ever loved me. And it's not his fault that I'm the way I am."

"The way you are with what?"

"I'm screwed up, Helen. Chris is the only guy who's ever been there. Dad left when I was 10 and I've seen him three times since, my brother left home as soon as he turned 18 and hasn't come back yet. And after all that, there was college and law school. Things kept changing. Chris is the one thing that's been constant in my life, that I've been able to depend on since law school. Except you."

Helen exhaled loudly. She'd never liked Kelton. He was a spineless little wimp, the kind of guy who in high school had to make other people feel bad to make himself feel good. "He may have been a constant Lindsay, but look what he did to you. That's not a good constant."

Lindsay turned and looked at her friend tiredly. "I don't want to get into this right now."

"Lindsay," Helen protested firmly.

"Helen," Lindsay returned just as firmly. "I'm really not up to this, okay?"

Helen sighed but nodded. As much as she hated it, she'd just have to give Lindsay time and space to figure it out for herself. Instead of pursuing the topic like she wanted, Helen leaned over and hugged her friend. "I love you, Linds. You're my best friend and I hate seeing you hurt. You know I'm here whenever you need me."

Lindsay nodded and hugged Helen back. "I know. I love you too."

Bobby looked into his office from outside next to Rebecca's desk. He'd gotten the drinks but when he saw the women talking, he had taken time to at least pick up some of the books that now scattered the library floor. Though he couldn't hear what they were saying, Bobby desperately hoped that Helen had managed to convince Lindsay to leave Chris. When he saw Helen and Lindsay pull apart and Helen hand Lindsay a piece of pizza, an insistent look on her face, Bobby judged it safe to enter again. He joined them, bearing two Pepsis and a Sprite. He handed the Sprite to Lindsay, knowing that she shouldn't have caffeine and then gave Helen one of the Pepsis. Helen moved so she was sitting on the table across from Lindsay and Bobby took Helen's spot on the couch.

After they'd finished eating, Lindsay changed into the yoga pants and t-shirt that Helen had brought and sat back on the couch. She leaned against one arm and tried to curl her knees to her chest. Bobby saw the pained look on her face and without a word he gently picked up her legs and laid them across his lap. Lindsay reached out a hand which Helen took and rubbed between her own. Within ten minutes, Lindsay was sound asleep again and Bobby was dozing. Helen stood and spread the blanket over both of them before lying down on the floor between the couch and the table. She took Bobby's suit jacket and used it as a pillow before falling asleep herself.


	4. Hidden Truths Chapter 4

Rebecca unlocked the office at 8:00 the next morning and began her morning preparations. She put a pot of coffee on and pulled up the blinds. As she turned away from the window, she saw the shelf that had been knocked over the night before and the books strewn about. Confused, Rebecca walked to Bobby's office, wondering if he was in there. But what she saw from the doorway surprised her even more. Bobby was sleeping on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Lindsay lay against the other end with her feet in Bobby's lap. Rebecca knocked on the door gently.

Bobby sat bolt upright at the sound, shocked out of a deep sleep. His feet flew off the table and landed on something soft which let out a startled, "ow!"

Helen sat up and shot Bobby an accusing look as she reached down to rub her now bruised leg. Jarred by Bobby's sudden movement, Lindsay whimpered and opened her eyes. The smell of left over pizza had her trying to stand up, only to have to stop to grab her crutches before swinging herself to Bobby's bathroom. The door closed behind her and a gagging sound followed.

Rebecca raised her eyebrows. "Do I even want to know?"

Both Helen and Bobby shook their heads. Bobby looked at Helen then. "What are you doing here?"

Helen rolled her eyes. "You fell asleep before you could drive me home. I'll catch a cab when Lindsay comes out of the bathroom."

Bobby nodded and turned to the office manager. "Did you put coffee on?"

"Don't I always," Rebecca retorted.

"Bless you." Bobby stood and made it to the door before he turned back to Helen. "You want some?"

Helen nodded and stood also. She walked to Bobby's bathroom and knocked on the door. "You okay in there, Linds?"

"I will be," came the muffled reply. A few minutes later, Lindsay came back out looking green. 

"You're sure it won't make you too late?" Bobby asked Helen who said no, then saw Lindsay and quickly shut up, taking a long drink of her coffee. 

Lindsay looked from one to the other suspiciously but before she could say anything, Rebecca was sitting her down in a chair and propping her ankle on the small filing cabinet. Once she was situated, Lindsay gave Helen a stern look. "What were you talking about?"

Helen looked guilty so Bobby spoke up. "Well, uh, we were talking and you can't really drive with your ankle." Lindsay nodded so Bobby continued. "We thought that Helen could drive your car to her house, get ready, then by the time you get to your place, Chris will probably be gone."

Lindsay nodded her agreement and Helen began helping Lindsay out to her car. 

After both women got ready, Helen dropped Lindsay off in front of her office. She'd been planning on helping her inside, but Lindsay insisted that she could manage and pointed out that Helen was already late for work. Lindsay waved goodbye and swung herself into the lobby. She watched and when Helen had turned a corner, Lindsay maneuvered herself outside again and hailed a cab. When the cabbie dropped her off in front of the courthouse, Lindsay took a deep breath and ventured inside. On the seventh floor, she was careful to look around for Helen before knocking on the door of her boyfriend's office.

"Come in," his voice testily replied and Lindsay shuddered. If Chris was in a bad mood already, then he'd obviously had a bad day in court. Still, she opened the door and entered. Chris looked up from his work and a look of surprise crossed his face. "What happened to you?"

Lindsay scowled. "I sprained my ankle when you pushed me last night."

Chris shook his head. "It can't be from that. You didn't fall that hard." A look of sympathy replaced the surprise on Chris's face as he walked around the desk and stood in front of Lindsay. "I understand. You're using the crutches to show me what could of happened." 

Lindsay shook her head as Chris took the crutches from under her arms and laid them on his couch. "I'm not using them to prove a point Chris, I need them. But that's not why I came here."

Chris ran his hands down Lindsay's arms. "What is it?"

Lindsay took a deep breath. "I think we should break up."

"What?" Chris exclaimed, looking honestly shocked. "Why? Christ Lindsay, I have Kate breathing down my neck about losing the last few convictions, I don't need this too!"

"Chris, you threw me into a metal shelf! If Bobby hadn't come in..."

"I'm sorry baby," Chris wrapped his arms around her and rocked back and forth. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that I have so much pressure on me right now from upstairs and this case is really driving me nuts. All I wanted last night was to go home with you and relax. But you were working late and I got jealous. It's just because I love you so much. Please Linds, I won't let it happen again, I promise. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you."

Lindsay closed her eyes and let herself forget the other times that Chris had said those exact same words, or words very close to them. Chris loved her, she reminded herself. And she was lucky that he did. 

Chris kissed the top of her head. "Now I have to get back to work, and you do to. No more talk about breaking up, okay?" Lindsay nodded and Chris continued. "And you don't really need those crutches. We wouldn't want people to think I hurt you, would we?" Lindsay shook her head and Chris walked back around to his desk and sat down. Lindsay took the signal and limped out of the room, trying not to think of the pain shooting through her ankle.

Lindsay arrived back at the office from her visit with Chris fifty-five minutes later. From the courthouse to the office usually took her fifteen minutes to walk the twenty blocks. She had been planning on hailing a cab since putting any weight on her ankle at all shot a blinding flash of white pain through her entire leg. But every cab in Boston seemed to either be full or off duty and by the time she'd seen one, she'd been two blocks from the office. So she hobbled into the elevator and tried to wipe the tears from behind her sunglasses. It wasn't sunny out but by the fifth block she hadn't been able to stop the tears from overflowing down her cheeks. Once the elevator doors closed, Lindsay leaned against the railing, allowing it to take her weight and keep it off her ankle. 

The doors opened on the fifth floor far too soon and Lindsay limped out of the elevator. She leaned against the wall and gave semi-serious consideration to crawling the few yards to the office. Only pride kept her on her feet but by the time she opened the office door tears were again falling down her face and all Lindsay wanted was to sit down. She pushed the door opened and Rebecca glanced up. When she saw Lindsay, she let out a shocked gasp and hurried to her side. Ellenor and Jimmy looked up from their desks and stood also, asking questions. The commotion drew both Bobby and Eugene out of their offices. Everyone was asking questions at once and trying to talk over each other, but Bobby's voice was soft, dangerous, and cut through the others like a switchblade. 

"Where are your crutches?"

"Chris took them," Lindsay whispered. She recognized the anger and felt herself shrink back against the door jam. "I couldn't find a cab."

"So you walked?!" Bobby was almost yelling now. "It's twenty blocks from the courthouse!" He stopped only when he saw the tears falling down her cheeks. Bobby bit back an oath and in three steps had crossed the office and lifted Lindsay into his arms again. The others parted as he carried her into his office and sat her on the couch. "Stay," he ordered tersely as he strode to the refrigerator and grabbed some ice cubes, wrapped them in a towel, and walked back to Lindsay. He carefully laid the ice on her ankle and held it there, gently soothing the pain. 

Lindsay sat on the couch, humiliated and in pain. She hadn't wanted the others in the office to know what was going on in her personal life. It was bad enough that Bobby and Helen knew, the last thing she needed was everyone else pressuring her to break up with Chris. The others had filed into Bobby's office behind them and stood, obviously wanting answers. Lindsay realized that they wouldn't leave until they were satisfied and decided to preempt any questions by just giving them answers. 

"I tripped last night and fell into the bookshelf. When I fell, I sprained my ankle. Luckily, Bobby was here and took me to the hospital. I fell asleep here last night. This morning, I went to tell Chris why I wasn't home last night, so he wouldn't worry. He made me realize that I don't really need the crutches and that I was using them for sympathy. And he didn't want people thinking he'd hurt me. So I left them in his office and came back here."

Ellenor, Jimmy and Rebecca exchanged doubtful looks. They'd seen the bruises on Lindsay's face that she'd tried to hide. It was Eugene though who spoke first, his voice soft and understanding.

"Why did Kelton think that people would assume he'd hurt you? That's not a normal assumption. Unless he did." Lindsay looked at the ground and Eugene continued. "Is that what happened, Lindsay? Did Kelton hit you?"

Lindsay shook her head vehemently. "No! It happened like I told you."

"If he's hurting you-" Ellenor began.

"HE'S NOT HURTING ME!" Lindsay screamed, close to tears again. Realizing the volume of her voice, Lindsay blushed and spoke softer, more insistently. "He's not hurting me."

The others nodded and Bobby rubbed a gentle thumb over the back of her hand. "Okay, Linds. Okay. Rebecca," he asked, still looking at Lindsay. "Can you please go to the drug store and get Lindsay another set of crutches? Take the money out of my jacket pocket on the back of the chair."

Rebecca nodded, took the money, and left. The others dispersed with her leaving Bobby and Lindsay alone in the office.

"You were scared of me," Bobby whispered, horrified. Lindsay shook her head in denial, but Bobby continued. "When I yelled, you shrank, your eyes got big. Then when I came towards you, you flinched like you thought I was going to hit you."

"I'm sorry," Lindsay whispered, embarrassed.

Bobby shook his head firmly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. He does."

"He loves me," Lindsay insisted.

Bobby bit back a sigh. He hated seeing what was happening to her, but he also knew that he couldn't stop it, this was something Lindsay was going to have to do for herself.

Lindsay spent most of the day on Bobby's couch where she could both work and keep her ankle elevated. Jimmy took her court appearance for the drug case and Helen picked her up from work, reluctantly dropping Lindsay at the apartment she shared with Chris.

The next three weeks were good ones for Lindsay, or at least there were more good times than bad. Bobby kept a close eye on her and was thankful to not notice any new bruises, at least not where he could see them. Her ankle healed and she was careful to be home on time every night. She hadn't told Chris about the baby yet though. He was still under a lot of stress at work and she wanted him to be happy about it. Or, if that failed, at least not mad. Lindsay figured that indifference was better than anger. Indifference didn't get her hurt. 

Lindsay was waiting at the back of the courtroom one day for Chris to finish so they could go to lunch. He was about to arraign a gruesome case. Kristian had been abused by her husband, Jake, for years. She'd tried to go to the police, but they hadn't been able to help much. After a particularly bad beating, she'd taken matters into her own hands, killed Jake and was now up on first degree murder charges. Kristian was being represented by a public defender when Judge Kittleson noticed Lindsay in the back of the room.

"Ms. Dole. Could you step forward please?" Confused, Lindsay obeyed. "Ms. Dole, meet your new client. We'll release her on $500 bond. Let's talk in two days, Thursday, at say 10:30 to discuss progress."

The judge was about to bang her gavel when Lindsay overcame her shock. "I can't, your Honor!"

"And why not?"

"Sidebar, ex parte?"

Judge Kittleson nodded and Lindsay hurried up to the bench. "I have a personal relationship with the ADA, your Honor."

Kittleson didn't look impressed. "Yes, and Bobby Donnell tried cases against Helen Gamble while engaging in a personal relationship with her and you've tried cases against Helen Gamble who I know you are friends with. Added to the fact that you've also tried cases against Mr. Kelton before, I see no reason you shouldn't be able to try this one."

Lindsay sighed and stepped back. She knew when she'd lost an argument. Chris shot her an evil look, but Lindsay just shrugged. There was nothing she could do, it was her case. But she was getting help. She mumbled an excuse to Chris about having to work on the case and not being able to meet him for lunch as she rushed out of the courthouse, into a cab, and to the office. She burst into Bobby's office without knocking. 

"We need a meeting," she said without preamble.

Bobby, having been immersed in his case, looked up in surprise. "What? Why?"

"I'll tell everyone then."

"O...kay. Is everyone here?"

"I don't know, I think I saw Ellenor and Jimmy. I didn't check Eugene's office."

"He should be here, he's not due in court until three."

Lindsay nodded. "Can we have it now then?"

Bobby nodded slowly. "Are you okay? You're pale..."

"Fine," Lindsay snapped as she stormed out of Bobby's office, into the conference room to wait. Ten minutes later, everyone had arrived and Lindsay had just finished relating what had happened at the courthouse.

"But you're dating Kelton," Jimmy objected. "That should get you out of it."

"I know! I told Kittleson, but she pointed out that I've tried cases against him before and that Bobby and Helen tried cases against each other."

"I'm second chairing," Bobby said, his tone silencing any argument. 

"The trial starts next week, barring any complications. The PD already did all the research, so we should be good there."

The others nodded, feeling bad for Lindsay getting this case dumped on her and wondering how she was going to handle this emotionally. They all thought it would likely hit a little too close to home by the time the verdict was read.

"Lindsay, I need to see you in my office," Bobby said as everyone started to file out. She followed him and sat on the couch when he took a seat in the chair. "Linds, you shouldn't be on this one, and you know it. Especially against Kelton. You're too close to it."

Lindsay shook her head and began to unconsciously rub at the headache brewing behind her eyes. "I'm okay, Bobby. I've been good, I haven't made him mad."

Noticing the movement, Bobby stood up and walked into his bathroom while he spoke over his shoulder. "Don't you think he'll be mad that you're going against him?"

"No. He was there, he knows that I didn't have a choice," Lindsay spoke firmly while willing it to be true. Bobby emerged from the bathroom and held an Advil and a glass of water out to Lindsay, who shook her head. "I can't. It's not good for the baby," she explained as she continued to massage her temples. 

Bobby sat next to her and watched, worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Lindsay nodded, even though the movement hurt her head. "Yeah. Headaches are just a part of pregnancy."

Bobby gently turned her so her back was towards him and took over the gentle massage. "Does this hurt?"

Unwilling to move her head, Lindsay whispered, "No, it feels good. Thank you."

"I don't like you doing this case," Bobby spoke softly but firmly, afraid that speaking at a normal volume would make the headache worse.

"I know. But I'll be fine."

"Stress isn't good for the baby," Bobby argued as he moved his fingers down to her neck and shoulders to rub away the tension that lived there.

"I know," Lindsay repeated. It amused her though. Since he'd found out about her pregnancy, Bobby had hovered over her, subtle enough that the others wouldn't notice, or so he thought. He brought her things from lunch, a brownie or a piece of fruit, and made sure she drank lots of milk and no coffee. Chris, on the other hand, still hadn't noticed her pregnancy, except for a mean spirited comment the week before that she was gaining weight.

That afternoon, Lindsay and Bobby had their first meeting with their new client. Kristian sat across from them in the conference room and watched them with big, haunted brown eyes. Lindsay smiled gently. "Can you tell us what happened?" Kristian shot Bobby a nervous look, which he correctly interpreted. He'd seen the same look from Lindsay on occasion. It meant that he wasn't trusted, that he was the enemy because he was a man.

"It's okay, Kristian," he tried to soothe. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'll keep my hands right here, on the table." Bobby laid his hands, palms up, on the table.

Kristian watched, then nodded slowly and began to speak. Her voice was soft and broken and it tore at Lindsay's heart. "I met Jake in college. I loved him right away. He was so smart and so handsome. And I wasn't pretty or smart. But he loved me. I wasn't good enough, quick enough. At least that's what I thought in the beginning. He hit me the first time when I was 20, because he thought I was flirting with another boy. He cried afterwards, said he was sorry, but that I'd made him jealous, that he loved me so much. And I believed him.

"We got married when he graduated college, and I dropped out with only a year left. I'd wanted to be a social worker. I wanted to help abused women and children. I never dreamed I'd be one of them. We had the first baby nine months after the wedding and a year later we had another. Jake was trying to move up in his job, he worked for a big advertising firm. He got so angry when he didn't get a client, he'd take it out on me."

"Did you ever go to the police?" Lindsay interrupted softly.

Kristian nodded. "I tried once when he broke two of my ribs and I was in the ER, but he denied it, said I fell, that it was my fault. Then he came into the room and told me that he'd make sure if I tried to press charges, I'd lose the kids. We'd been married four years by this point and I was pregnant again. I couldn't lose my babies. I never thought he'd hit them. 

"But three weeks ago, I left Connor, my oldest, with Jake while I took Justin and Emily to the doctors. I came home and Connor was crying. He had bruises that I saw on his back when I gave him a bath. 

"I confronted Jake then, demanded that he leave and never contact us again. I could stand the beatings for me, but not for my children. His eyes got this wild look in them and he came at me. He started hitting me, harder this time than ever before, and he threw me down the stairs. He said he'd kill me before letting me leave. He'd threatened to kill me before, but I could tell he really meant it this time. So I grabbed Connor's baseball bat, it was laying by the door for the next day, and I started hitting him. I hit Jake until he didn't move anymore. I didn't know I'd killed him! I just thought I'd knocked him out!"

Tears were pouring down Kristian's cheeks now and Lindsay reached out, gently taking her hand. "It'll be okay, Kristian. Bobby and I will work our hardest to get you free. I promise."

Kristian nodded and fifteen minutes later, she left. Lindsay came back from showing her out with tears pooled in her eyes. At the door, Kristian had hugged her tightly, thanking her for her help. Bobby hadn't moved since Kristian started her story. All he could think was that if things kept going the way they were, Lindsay was going to be in her position in a few years. The thought had his stomach turning and bile rising in his throat. When Lindsay shut the door, Bobby looked up, surprised. He hadn't noticed that she was gone.

"What are you planning on arguing?"

Lindsay sat down, thinking hard, her hand moving in unconscious circles over her stomach. "I could go with temporary insanity. But if we want Kristian to get her children back, and I do, then that won't work. But, if we argue self defense...it's our best chance. She was protecting herself and her children. If we throw in a little jury nullification, we should be able to get her off."

Bobby nodded, "That's what I was thinking. Lindsay." He waited until she was looking at him, then continued. "I really think I should first chair this. It's too close to you."

Lindsay shook her head stubbornly. "I'm fine, Bobby. I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine."

Bobby didn't believe her and when he called Helen that afternoon to tell her, she didn't think so either. Lindsay threw herself completely into the case though. She would have forgotten lunch on several occasions if Bobby hadn't gone out and brought her a sandwich. She had to get Kristian acquitted, she had to. 

As Bobby predicted, Chris wasn't at all happy that Lindsay was working so hard to free one of his cases. As a result, Lindsay spent every night after the Thursday court meeting sleeping on Bobby's couch. Chris had been so furious that the case looked bad for him that Lindsay had thought he was going to hit her right in the courtroom. She could see him losing touch with everything and didn't want to be around when that happened. 

The trial began on Monday, less than a week after it'd been assigned to her. After calling the coroner who testified as to how Jake died, Chris called several people to testify as to how much Jake had loved Kristian and that he's never hurt her or the kids. Lindsay, however, was able to get every one of the character witnesses to admit that Jake had a temper and was often jealous for no reason. Lindsay called the doctor from the ER who'd treated Kristian and the police officers who'd been called to both the hospital and Kristian's home. Finally, she called Kristian to the stand. Kristian did great, telling her story exactly as she had every other time. And when Chris got up to cross examine her, she'd stuck to her facts, that she'd thought that he was going to kill her.

Lindsay and Bobby waited in one of the rooms for closing arguments, which were in 20 minutes. Lindsay paced nervously from one end of the room to the other. "I've got to nail this one, Bobby. I can't let her go to jail," she muttered as she bit at a cuticle. 

"She did great, Linds," Bobby tried to soothe her. "And so did you. You picked apart the prosecutions witnesses, got them to admit that he was violent. And your closing will be perfect."

Lindsay nodded nervously and continued pacing. In an effort to help her calm down, Bobby went into the hall to find her some water. A knock on the door had Lindsay calling come in, expecting it to be someone from the firm.

"I suppose you're proud of yourself," Chris sneered and Lindsay's head snapped up, fear bright in her eyes. "You can't win this case, Lindsay. There's pressure from upstairs and I could lose my job if I lose one more case. That guy was just protecting what was his, his family. But his stupid bitch wife didn't appreciate him. He put food on the table and a roof over their heads."

"He hit her, Chris," Lindsay argued. She knew that arguing with Chris was a bad idea, but she couldn't help it. She was tired of watching what she said, tired of walking on eggshells in her own home. "Her husband hit her and his son. He was going to kill her!"

Chris shook his head. "What goes on between a man and his wife is nobody's business but theirs. And you don't really want to win this case, do you Lindsay? It would make me very, very unhappy if I lost a killer because of you. Do you realize that you haven't been home at night in nearly a week? Who do you think cooked dinner for me? Who do you think cleaned? Dammit, Lindsay you belong at home not working to free a killer!"

Lindsay had backed up slowly as Chris's voice rose to a shout and now she was pressed against the wall. "It's my job," she tried weakly to reason with him. 

"And it's going to cost me mine, you opportunistic bitch!" Chris smacked his hand against the wall next to Lindsay's head causing her to jump. "Now listen to me. You're going to phone this one in. Because you don't want the jury to come back with an aquittal." His voice grew soft and dangerous. "It would be very very bad for you if they did."

Lindsay could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't want Kristian to go to jail, and she couldn't look herself in the face if she purposely blew a case. "No."

"What?" Chris looked furious. 

"I said no, Chris," Lindsay's voice was growing stronger. "I'm not going to let her do time, not when she doesn't deserve it."

"Dammit, you will!" A red haze of fury formed in front of his eyes. Without thinking, he swung out and smacked Lindsay across the face. Before she had time to recover, he hit her again and again, until she was half conscious slumped on the floor. Lindsay felt every blow through the gray fog that kept trying to pull her under. The last thing she felt were Chris's hands tighten around her throat, cutting off air as she tried to claw him off. Then the blackness pulled her under. 


	5. Hidden Truths Chapter 5

Bobby walked down the hall carrying two cups of water. He wanted Lindsay to try to relax, which he knew wasn't likely to happen. He'd figured that things had gotten bad again between Lindsay and Chris when Lindsay started sleeping on his couch. He hadn't said anything, but he'd made sure that there was always a pillow and blanket there for her and he'd brought in an old t-shirt and boxer shorts for her to sleep in. He was hoping that after the trial, he could start trying to convince Lindsay that she was better off without Kelton.

Bobby turned into the room and looked around for Lindsay, wondering where she'd gone. He walked around the table and stopped dead, his heart and stomach jumping into his throat. Lindsay was laying crumpled on the floor, bruised, bleeding, and unconscious. 

"Lindsay!" he yelled, dropping to the ground next to her. He gently pressed two fingers to her neck and was relieved to find a pulse. "Lindsay, honey wake up. Please Linds." When she didn't move, Bobby jumped up and ran for the door. He saw a guard across the hall and wanted to scream where the HELL had he been when Lindsay was being attacked. Instead he yelled for the guard to call an ambulance. He rushed back to Lindsay's side and gently brushed her hair back from her face. "Come on, baby. Open your eyes for me. I know you can do it. Let me see your beautiful blue eyes. I'm right here Linds, I'm right here."

Bobby kept begging her until the paramedics showed up. They strapped Lindsay to a back board and lifted her onto the stretcher. Bobby stood as they lifted her, still holding her hand and didn't let go as they wheeled her into the ambulance.

Helen had been in her office when the wave of whispers swept past, growing louder as people found out who it was. She stuck her head out of the door just in time to hear a clerk say, "Lindsay Dole, you know she's defending that woman who killed her husband? Donnell found her unconscious..."

Helen didn't need to hear anymore. She raced out of her office and down the stairs at top speed. She caught up with them as they carefully loaded Lindsay into the ambulance and she jumped in across from Bobby on Lindsay's other side next to a paramedic.

"Ma'am," the paramedic said, obviously annoyed. 

"I'm her sister," Helen snapped, gently patting Lindsay's leg. She looked up at Bobby then and saw her own fear reflected in his eyes. "What the hell happened," she asked softly. 

"I don't know," Bobby answered in a tear choked voice. "I went to get a drink and when I came back, I found her." A single tear escaped and trailed down Bobby's cheek as he looked up at the paramedic. "She's pregnant," he said. "Will the baby be okay?"

"It's too early to say," the paramedic answered. They rode the rest of the way to St. Anne's in silence. At the hospital, Lindsay was rushed into a trauma room. Bobby and Helen were held back and told to wait. Three hours later Detective Mike Maguire walked into the ER and found Bobby and Helen waiting impatiently. 

Helen saw Mike first and rushed over. "What have you found?"

Mike sighed. "A clerk said that he was waiting across the hall and the only person who went into the room was Chris Kelton."

Bobby's eyes clouded over with fury. "Bastard," he growled. "Have you arrested him?"

"We're trying to find him now," Mike answered. "How's she doing?"

"It's been three hours and they haven't told us anything," Helen said worriedly.

Mike nodded. "I have to go back to the station and keep an eye on the investigation, I just wanted you to know what's going on."

"Thank you," Helen said, then added, "If you have to get a little rough with him, I'll look the other way."

Mike nodded again. "Let me know how she is."

As Mike left, Bobby paced back and forth nervously. He wanted to know what was going on, why weren't they telling them anything? He leaned against the wall and prayed that both Lindsay and the baby were okay. He'd seen Lindsay several times while working on the case pause and rest a hand on her stomach and when he'd come back to the office late at night to check on her, he'd often found her asleep, hands covering her stomach protectively. He knew that she loved the baby and feared that losing the baby would be a dangerous blow to her.

Bobby sighed. He was certain that if he hadn't gone to get water, Lindsay would be okay right now. She'd be doing her closing that she'd worked so hard on. If only he'd protected her...if she was alright, Bobby promised himself that he wouldn't make that mistake again. He'd protect and take care of her and the baby.

He didn't notice Helen next to him until she squeezed his hand. Bobby looked at her face which was white with fear. Helen glanced at the trauma room and Bobby followed her gaze, seeing the doctor emerge. He approached Bobby and Helen while removing his mask.

"She has a dislocated shoulder, her left," he said. "She has several bumps and bruises and a slight concussion. There were a couple of cuts on her face and one needed stitches. But she should make a full recovery."

"And the baby," Bobby asked nervously. 

"The baby has a good strong heartbeat and is perfectly fine. I want to keep her here overnight for observation, but she should be able to go home tomorrow. She'll need help for the next few days."

Bobby nodded. "I'll stay with her. Is she awake?"

"She was still unconscious when I left, but I expect her to wake up at any time. They're moving her to a private room."

Bobby smiled gratefully. "Thank you." He and Helen hurried upstairs to Lindsay's room. She lay, still unconscious, bruised and swollen, with her good hand resting on her stomach. Tears filled both Bobby and Helen's eyes as they sat down on either side of her. Bobby carefully took her right hand in his, while Helen stroked her hair gently.

"Hi honey," Bobby whispered. "Helen and I are here. We're going to stay right here until you wake up." He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently.

Helen continued to stroke her hair, knowing that it had comforted her in school when she was upset. "You're going to be fine, babe. We're going to take good care of you."

They sat there for nearly an hour, talking softly to Lindsay, assuring her that she was safe. Finally, Lindsay moaned softly and opened her eyes. "Bobby," she asked softly, her throat hurt.

Bobby grinned down at her, thrilled. "Hey honey. How do you feel?"

"I hurt," she answered, then remembering what had happened, Lindsay jerked her hand out of Bobby's and rested it on her stomach, panicked. "The baby! Is the baby okay?"

Bobby nodded and pointed to one of the screens. "The baby's perfect. See this line?" Lindsay nodded. "That's the baby's heartbeat."

Lindsay smiled and relaxed slightly against the bed. "Thank God." She turned her head slowly as she felt someone stroke her hair and smiled at Helen. "Hey."

Helen smiled. "Hey babe. Do you want to tell us what happened?"

Lindsay's brow furrowed. She remembered the end, the darkness pulling at her and giving in, and she remembered drifting in a warm dark place, the pain occasionally drawing her up, but she always managed to sink back in. Then she'd heard Bobby's voice and Helen's, but hadn't been able to open her eyes. "Um...Bobby went to get water," she said slowly as the pieces began to come back to her. She looked at Bobby and when he nodded, she continued. "I was nervous about the closing." She paused again. "Chris came in. He wanted me to blow the case. I couldn't do that, she doesn't deserve to be in jail." Lindsay's eyes filled with tears which started rolling down her cheeks. "He kept hitting me. He wouldn't stop. He just kept hitting me. And I was so afraid that he'd hurt the baby."

Lindsay was sobbing and hiccuping with tears pouring down her cheeks. Bobby felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He moved to the edge of the bed, careful not to jar her too much, and wrapped his arms around her. He made sure not to hold her too tightly for fear of making her hurt more, but he held her, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her. "Sh," he whispered softly. "You're safe now, he can't hurt you. We won't let him hurt you or the baby again."

Tears continued to roll down Lindsay's face as she clutched at Bobby's shirt with her good arm. Crying hurt her throat, reminding her what Chris had done. "He tried to strangle me," she sobbed. "He put his hands around my neck and he kept squeezing and everything went black. I thought he was going to kill me and the baby."

"He didn't," Helen tried to soothe her best friend. "The baby's fine, it's perfect. You're carrying a perfectly healthy little baby. And the doctor says that you're going to heal and be good as new in a few weeks."

"What if he comes back," Lindsay asked softly, still nestled in Bobby's arms. "What if he wants to be part of the baby's life?"

"We won't let him," Bobby answered. "He'll never come near either of you again, I promise."

"I'll make sure he goes to jail for a long time," Helen promised. "And he doesn't know about the baby, does he?" Lindsay shook her head. "He doesn't have to. Don't put his name on the birth certificate and he'll never know. He'll have no claim to your baby."

Lindsay nodded and pulled away from Bobby, carefully laying down. "Can I go home now," she asked softly.

"Tomorrow," Bobby answered. "The doctors want to be completely sure that you're okay before you go home." Bobby paused. "You're going to stay with me for a little while, okay? We're going to take care of you, but you can't stay in the apartment you shared with Kelton, it won't be good for you. And you're going to need some help until your shoulder heals."

Lindsay nodded, exhausted. "Okay. I'll stay with you." Lindsay's eyes started to drift closed and one hand reached out for Bobby's and she held on tightly. Bobby glanced at Helen. 

"Can you go call Mike and tell him that she's awake? And the office?"

Helen nodded and kissed Lindsay's forehead, promising to be back soon. She went to the phone bank and called Mike who said that they were making progress in finding Chris and he'd come by Bobby's the next day to get Lindsay's statement along with Bobby's. Helen then called the office. She gave Rebecca all the information she had and Rebecca said that she'd page Ellenor and Eugene who were in court and she and Jimmy would come down right away. After hanging up, Helen went to the gift shop and bought Lindsay a violet and a brown floppy stuffed dog. When she arrived back at the room, Lindsay was still sound asleep and Bobby was still holding her hand. Helen placed the plant on Lindsay's bedside table and held the dog in her lap. She updated Bobby on the case and that the firm would be down soon.

Lindsay felt a dull pain pulling at her again, trying to make her wake up. She moaned, unwilling to surface and face that pain full on. But it kept tugging at her and she reluctantly opened her eyes. Helen smiled at her and handed her a stuffed dog. "I thought he looked like he needed a friend," she explained. 

Lindsay smiled weakly and looked up as Bec and Jimmy rushed through the door, followed five minutes later by Ellenor and Eugene. They spoke quickly in ever increasing tones until Lindsay thought that her head would split open. Seeing her reach up to massage her temples, Bobby glared at them all until they quieted down. They didn't stay long since Lindsay was already beginning to sleep again. They were almost out the door when Ellenor glanced back, her eyes landing on the fetal monitor. 

"What's that," she asked suspiciously.

Lindsay looked at it, then blushed. She knew from Ellenor's tone of voice that she knew exactly what it was. The other members of the firm had stopped also and were now looking at her for an answer. Lindsay smiled weakly and said. "It's a fetal monitor. I'm having a baby."

The firm stared at her in shock for a couple of seconds before Bec walked forward and hugged Lindsay gently. "That's great, congratulations."

"Yeah Linds, that's wonderful," Eugene said, kissing her cheek.

"You'll be a great mom," Ellenor added as she too hugged Lindsay.

Jimmy nodded. "You have to take care of yourself," he warned as he too hugged her. They left then and Lindsay smiled as she laid against the pillows.

"They took that really well," she said.

"And why wouldn't they," Helen asked. "Having a baby is a great thing."

"And you *will* be a great mom," Bobby added.

Lindsay fell asleep, smiling as she thought of her baby.


	6. Hidden Truths Chapter 6

The next day, Bobby took Lindsay back to his apartment. He'd left her with Helen for a few hours to he could make everything comfortable and he'd gotten Mike to let him into Lindsay's old apartment so he could get some of her clothes and other things that she would need. He wanted Lindsay to relax as much as possible. She'd had a hard night, waking up from several nightmares and then not being able to get back to sleep. The members of the firm had visited her in the hospital again before she was released and had tried to convince her to take some time off to heal. Lindsay was resisting, but what she didn't know was that Bobby and Helen had already figured out who would stay with her when during the week. Bobby was staying at home until Kelton was caught, he didn't want to risk her safety. Helen was going to then take several days after that so Bobby could get back to work.

Bobby unlocked the door to his apartment and let Lindsay walk in ahead of him. She glanced back and smiled nervously. "You don't have to do this you know. I could stay in a hotel...or something."

Bobby shook his head as he walked over to the counter and placed all of Lindsay's flowers on it. "I don't want to risk Kelton finding you. Besides, you're going to need help until your arm heals." Lindsay nodded, giving in and Bobby smiled. "I've gotten your room all set up for you."

Lindsay looked at him, surprised. The last time she'd been over at Bobby's house, he'd had his own bedroom set up, but the other one had been a junk room. "I thought I'd just sleep on the couch, or something."

Bobby shook his head firmly. "No way." He placed a gentle hand on her back and led her down the hall to his bedroom door. Lindsay gaped at him as he swung the door open to reveal that he'd made up the bed with lots of pillows the way she liked and put flowers all around the room. The gesture had tears forming in her eyes before she could stop them. Bobby smiled down at her. "You like it?"

"It's great, but Bobby, I can't kick you out of your own room! Where will you sleep?"

Bobby sighed silently as the answer, 'right next to you' raced through his head. "I'll crash on the couch. Or if you'd feel safer, I'll sleep on the floor in here."

Lindsay would have felt safer with him in the room, but she refused to sound weak. "I feel bad kicking you out to the couch, but I'd feel worse with you on the floor..."

"Linds, I don't mind, really."

Lindsay paused before smiling slightly. "Thanks then. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Bobby said earnestly. He led her inside and opened the closet to reveal that he'd hung her clothes up for her. "Do you need anything else?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Everything's perfect, thank you."

"Do you want to take a nap or anything," Bobby asked worriedly. 

Lindsay laughed softly. "I've done nothing but sleep for the last day, Bobby."

"Food then. Are you hungry?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I'm fine, I promise. I just want to relish not being in a hospital."

Bobby followed Lindsay to the couch where she sat down gingerly. She was still really sore and her shoulder hurt, but she refused to give in and take pain medication. She didn't want to hurt the baby. Bobby sat next to her. "Mike said he'd come by around two or so to take a statement." 

Lindsay nodded. "Have...have they found him yet?"

Bobby shook his head sadly. He didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes. "I'm sorry honey. They're still looking though and they're getting closer all the time."

Lindsay nodded, even though she wasn't sure she believed him. "What if they don't, Bobby? What if he's already gotten away and they never find him? He'll come back and kill me, I know it."

Bobby's heart ached. Lindsay wasn't crying, she sounded so resigned though and afraid. He reached over and gently stroked a finger down her cheek. "I won't let him hurt you again, I promise Lindsay."

Lindsay leaned her head on his shoulder, needing to feel more reassured than she normally did. Bobby didn't ask, he just tucked an arm around her and held her. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lindsay turned her head to look at him. "Will you stay with me when I'm talking to the police? I don't know if I can do it alone."

Bobby sighed. "You know I can't, honey. They need to take my statement too. But I'll call Eugene or Ellenor if you want, and they can stay with you."

Lindsay shook her head. She wanted to drag as few people into this as possible. "No, no I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? They won't mind coming by."

"I'm sure," Lindsay whispered, sounding anything but.

Bobby was going to pursue the conversation when there was a knock on the door and Lindsay jumped. He squeezed her hand before going to open the front door. "It's probably Mike," Bobby said. He opened the door and was surprised to see Helen.

"Hey. I wanted to stop by and see how she was doing."

Bobby smiled gratefully and whispered, "Thanks. She's scared about giving the statement, but I can't stay with her..."

"I will," Helen said immediately. She walked into the living room and smiled at Lindsay who had stood up. "Hey. I came by to see how you're doing."

Lindsay forced a smile. "I'm okay."

Helen nodded. "Mind if I listen to your statement? It'll help me with the case."

Lindsay shook her head, thankful to have someone with her. There was another knock on the door and Helen saw Lindsay tense involuntarily. Bobby opened the door, revealing Mike Maguire, Scott Mills, another detective, and two stenographers. Mike smiled briefly at Bobby. "How's she doing?"

"She wants everyone to think she's okay," Bobby answered.

Mike nodded. "I'll take her statement if you want."

Bobby thought for a moment. "Yeah, that might be best, she'll be more comfortable with someone she knows. Thanks. And Helen'll be with her."

Mike nodded. "We'll take you in one of the backrooms and her in here then."

"That's fine." Bobby led the men into the living room. "Linds, Mike is going to take your statement here." Lindsay nodded nervously. "I'll be back in the bedroom if you need anything okay?"

Lindsay nodded again. "I'll be okay."

Bobby nodded and led Mills and one of the stenographers to the bedroom while Lindsay sat on the couch. Mike pulled up a chair across from her. "I just want to ask you some questions, Lindsay. I don't want to upset you. Let me know if you need a break and we'll take one, okay?"

Lindsay nodded and Mike started. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I...I was on a case. Chris Kelton was prosecuting. He didn't like me on the case, I was defending a woman whose husband had beaten her and she killed him in self defense. Chris didn't want me on the case. Bobby and I were in one of the waiting rooms..."

"Bobby?" Mike interrupted.

"Bobby Donnell, my co-counsel. Bobby left to get me a drink of water. Then Chris came in. He tried to threaten me into blowing the case on purpose. I wouldn't and when I said that, he started to attack me. He hit me and tried to strangle me. I thought he was going to hurt me or the baby. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital." Tears pooled in Lindsay's eyes but she refused to let them fall. Helen squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly.

"Lindsay, what was your relationship to Mr. Kelton prior to this incident?"

"I'd known him since law school. We dated some then, but he never hit me. Then we hooked up again about six months ago. He started getting frustrated with his job, and since I'm a defense lawyer, he'd take it out on me. He started beating me after we'd been dating about a month, and it's gotten worse. Several weeks ago he came to my office late at night. He was convinced that I was cheating on him, which I wasn't. He beat me and caused me to sprain my ankle. Bobby took me to the hospital, there should be records. Bobby and Helen both tried to get me to leave him, but I wouldn't. I was too stubborn..." Lindsay whispered the last as a single tear spilled over down her cheek. 

Helen squeezed her hand. "Let's take a break," she said, looking at Mike. 

Mike nodded. "We'll pick this up again in five?"

Helen nodded and left Lindsay on the couch as she got her a drink of water. She came back and sat down next to her friend. Lindsay took a drink of the water and then drew a deep breath.

"I'm okay," she said softly.

Helen nodded and rubbed her friend's back. "If you want to stop, we can do this again later."

Lindsay shook her head. "No. I need to do this now, when my memory's fresher." Helen just nodded and signaled to Mike that they were ready to continue.

In the bedroom, Bobby was answering questions from Det. Scott Mills.

"How long have you known Ms. Dole?"

"Three years."

"And what did you know of her relationship with Mr. Kelton?"

"I knew she was dating him, and that they'd known each other in law school. A couple of weeks ago, I was working late in my office and Lindsay was in the library. I heard a scuffle and when I came out, Kelton was hitting Lindsay. I threw him out of the office and took her to the hospital. Her lip was split and her ankle was sprained. I tried to get her to leave him, but she insisted that he was just stressed. Then we took on this case, an abused woman had killed her husband in self defense. Kelton was prosecuting. I knew he wouldn't be happy, but Lindsay had it assigned to her. She started sleeping at the office. Yesterday we were in the waiting room at the courthouse, waiting to close. I left to get Lindsay some water. When I came back, she was unconscious on the floor. We took her to the hospital and when she woke up, she became upset, almost hysterical. She told me that Chris Kelton had attacked her."

Scott Mills nodded. "Okay. We may need to talk to you later, but this seems to be all for now. Thank you."

Bobby nodded, shook the detective's hand, and followed him into the living room. Mike asked Lindsay a few more questions about anywhere she thought Kelton might hide. After answering everything, Lindsay looked exhausted. Mike had been there for an hour and a half. He left, promising to call the second he knew anything and advised Lindsay not to stay alone. Bobby shook Mike's hand and showed him out while Helen hugged Lindsay tightly. 

Lindsay heard the door close and pulled away from Helen's embrace. She was so tired and reliving everything that had happened with Chris had drained her emotionally. Bobby sat on the other side of her and rubbed her back gently. 

"I was thinking that we could just order Chinese food and watch a movie tonight, give you a chance to relax. Okay?"

Lindsay nodded distractedly. Talking to Mike had made her think of something that she felt horribly guilty about not having remembered before. She followed Bobby into the kitchen where he was digging through a drawer for the Chinese menu.

"Bobby?" Lindsay asked as she leaned against the counter behind him.

"Hm?" Bobby was sure that he had put the menu in this drawer.

"What happened to Kirsten's case?"

Bobby turned and smiled gently. "She's free, honey."

"But the closing," she asked worriedly.

"Judge Kittleson called a mistrial, prosecutorial misconduct, when she found out what happened. And since we were going to closings, double jeopardy had attached and Kirsten's free. She's at home with her kids right now."

Lindsay sighed in relief. "I can't believe I forgot about her case, I'm her lawyer! It should have been the first thing I thought of when I woke up..."

"Linds," Bobby said softly. "Your mind was right where it should have been when you woke up, with your baby."

Lindsay shook her head back and forth. "No, Bobby you told me when I was hired that a defense attorney's first priority has to lie with her clients, that I have to be ready to jump out of bed at a moment's notice to go to the jail. But I didn't even think about her case until I was telling Mike about everything..."

Bobby walked forward and cupped Lindsay's chin gently. "Honey, what I said then, I don't mean it the way it came out. Yeah, you have to be ready to go help a client. But you're pregnant Lindsay. Your first priority is right where it should be, with yourself and your baby."

"What if I can't do this," Lindsay continued as if Bobby hadn't spoken. "What if I can't be a lawyer and a mother?"

"You can," Bobby answered earnestly. "You'll be a great mother. And we'll work on balancing it. But you won't have to do everything alone, we're all here and we're willing to help you. We want to help you. And before you start thinking this, you didn't do anything wrong by Kirsten. You tried a great case, and they would have found her not guilty. I'm sure of it."

Lindsay nodded, still not sure about everything Bobby had said. She'd done a lot of thinking since she'd found out she was pregnant and she had no idea how she was going to take care of a baby and still manage to be a lawyer. The more she thought about it the scarier it was and the more alone she felt. 

Bobby went back to hunting up the menu while Helen smiled and rubbed Lindsay's arm. "Thanks for letting me listen in. I'm going to head home now babe, okay?"

Lindsay turned quickly. She felt better with more people there. "Can...can..."

Hearing the fear in her voice, Bobby smiled quickly at Helen. "Why don't you stay for dinner? Unless of course you have something planned."

Helen shook her head. "Nope, no plans, I was going to order pizza or something. I can stay."

Lindsay smiled gratefully at both of them, then yawned. Helen caught Bobby's eye and motioned to the bedroom with her head. Bobby nodded in agreement. 

"Why don't you lay down before dinner gets here babe?"

"I'm not tired," Lindsay objected.

Helen rolled her eyes. So she was now having to humor her friend. "I know. But the baby is..."

Lindsay spun around quickly. "And how in the hell would you know," she snapped angrily. "It's MY baby and MY body and I think that I know both of them better than anyone! Once, just once I'd like to have control over my own goddamn body! I know what I can handle, when to eat, and if I'm tired! I'm not a child!"

Helen stepped back in surprise, then her own anger rose. "Fine! I'm sorry that you scared the shit out of me when you got beaten, I'm sorry that I'm worried about you and your baby, I'm sorry that I'm afraid that I'll go home and get a call that something awful happened to you!"

Not wanting Lindsay to get upset, Bobby took Helen by the arm and led her into the living room where he spoke in a harsh whisper. "Lay off, Helen. If she doesn't want to take a nap, let her be! She doesn't need to be stressed out and yelled at."

"Well she doesn't need to be exhausted either! And what makes you think you know what's best for her?"

"I know her! You obviously don't!"

"She's my best friend," Helen yelled. "I've known her for ten years, she's closer to me than my own sister! And I'm sorry if you don't think that I'm doing a good enough job, but I'm scared to death for her and I'm not going to leave her alone!"

"Well neither am I!" Bobby yelled back. "It was my fault he did this and I'll be damned if I let him hurt her or that baby ever again!"

Both were startled out of their argument by a quiet sob. They turned to see Lindsay standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Helen and Bobby both hurried to her, ushering her to the couch and sitting her down, one on either side of her.

"It's okay, Linds," Helen soothed gently. "We're sorry, we didn't mean for you to get upset." 

"And we didn't mean to sound like we don't think you can take care of yourself. We're worried about you and we want to make sure that you're going to be okay, that's all," Bobby added.

When that only made Lindsay cry harder, Helen drew her into her arms and held her tightly. She shot Bobby a look over Lindsay's shoulder that said very clearly, 'look what you've done now!' Bobby glared back at Helen and rubbed Lindsay's back.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay sobbed. "I don't know why I'm crying...I just heard you arguing and you both sounded so worried..."

"We are," Helen said. "We're very worried about you. And so is everyone at the office. But we know that you're going to take the best care of yourself and your baby that you can. That doesn't mean we're not going to try to help you as much as we can, but we're only doing it because we love you."

"I know," Lindsay said, trying to stop crying. "I love you, too. I'm sorry I got mad, it wasn't fair. But I need to still be in control of my life. With Chris for the last year, I haven't felt like that."

"Oh, honey," Bobby said softly. "We didn't mean to make you feel like that, we really didn't."

"I know," Lindsay sniffed. She sat up and dried her eyes. "I don't know why I'm so moody."

Helen rubbed her back gently. "It's okay, it's just taking us a little while to get used to it."

Bobby smiled gently. "How are you feeling now?"

Lindsay paused a second, thinking about it. "I'm a little hungry."

"Does the baby like Chinese, or does that not agree with you?"

"Chinese is fine," Lindsay answered. An hour later, they all sat down to their respective dinners and tried to keep the conversation on anything about what had happened to Lindsay. After cleaning up and putting the left overs in the fridge, Helen hugged Lindsay tightly. 

"I have to go now, hon. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

Lindsay nodded and hugged her back. "Thank you."

"No problem, babe."

Bobby turned to Lindsay. "Why don't you pick out a movie and I'll walk Helen out."

Lindsay nodded and Bobby walked Helen to the door. They stepped outside and Helen turned to Bobby, whispering so Lindsay couldn't hear. "You're staying with her tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. And you'll keep me updated on Kelton."

"Of course." Helen paused. "Thank you for taking care of her, Bobby." She rose and kissed his cheek. 

Bobby smiled. "No problem. Be careful going home, Helen. He might come after you to try to get Lindsay."

Helen nodded. "I will." 

She left then and Bobby walked back into the apartment. Lindsay had chosen "Jerry Maguire" and was sitting on the couch, waiting for Bobby to join her. He sat down on the other end of the couch and pressed Play. They watched in silence for most of the movie until near then end when Bobby heard a quiet sniffling coming from the other corner. He glanced over and saw Lindsay staring at the television with tears rolling down her cheeks. Bobby smiled. "Lindsay," he said softly.

She looked over and Bobby held out one arm, offering to let her cuddle. Lindsay paused for a second before scooting across the couch and resting her head against Bobby's shoulder. His arm came around her shoulders and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. He felt her breathing even out and by the end of the movie 20 minutes later, Bobby glanced down and saw that Lindsay had fallen asleep. He smiled and nudged her gently. 

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," he whispered.

Lindsay opened her eyes slowly. "Wha-"

"You fell asleep," he said softly. "Ready for bed?"

Lindsay nodded and got to her feet. Bobby walked her to her room and turned to her. "If you need anything during the night, anything at all, I'm right in the living room, okay?"

Lindsay nodded and kissed his cheek gently. "Thank you for all of this, Bobby."

Bobby smiled. "It's no problem, I wanted to. Really."

Lindsay walked into her room and Bobby headed to the living room couch. As he laid down, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd felt nothing when Helen kissed him, but with Lindsay that innocent kiss on the cheek, one friend to another, had sent his mind spinning into orbit. He'd never felt that from any woman besides Lindsay. 

While Bobby thought of happier things Lindsay lay in bed, terrified that Chris was going to find her somehow. Finally exhaustion won out and she fell into a restless sleep where she was running from Chris as fast as she could, but she could never get away.


	7. Hidden Truths Chapter 7

Lindsay woke up in the middle of the night and sat up, about to go get a drink. In the haze between sleep and full consciousness though fear of Chris came back and she sat, paralyzed with fear. He was watching her, he knew where she was and as soon as she moved, he would come and find her. He would hurt her again, he would hurt the baby. Lindsay sat, too terrified to move until her mouth was all but dry and she was desperate for a drink of water. Maybe if she moved quickly, she'd be safe. She leapt out of bed and, still half asleep, forgot that she was at Bobby's and misjudged the location of the bedroom door. She ran her left shoulder into the doorframe, hard and sank to the ground, trying to swallow the involuntary sob. She backed into a corner, between the wall and a chest of drawers, and huddled there clutching her shoulder, waiting for Chris to come, as tears of fear welled in her eyes.

Bobby woke up to a strange thud followed by a sob. He sat up and looked around quickly, wondering why he was on the couch. It only took him a second to remember Lindsay and jump up, following the noise to his bedroom. He knocked on the door but when that was only met by a terrified gasp, Bobby pushed the door open and flicked on the light. The bed was empty and he jumped a foot when he heard Lindsay's frightened, pain filled voice from the ground next to him.

"Turn off the light," she begged. The light was a signal to Chris that she was there.

Bobby looked at her confused. "What? Lindsay, what happened? Are you hurt?"

"Please, just turn off the light," her voice was growing more hysterical so Bobby quickly flipped off the light switch and dropped to his knees. 

"Linds," he asked softly. "What's wrong?"

"He'll see us," she whispered, terrified.

Bobby looked around the darkened room and, though he couldn't see anyone, asked, "Who? Who'll see us?"

"Chris," Lindsay whispered his name, afraid that speaking it any louder would let him hear.

Bobby's eyes narrowed. "Did he call?" He thought that he'd have heard the phone, but he'd been so tired that it was possible, though unlikely, that he'd have slept through it.

Lindsay shook her head. "No. But he'll find me. He always said if I left he'd find me. And he'll hurt me."

Bobby shook his head and gathered Lindsay into his arms. "Sh. No he won't. He won't find you and he won't hurt you, I promise. You're safe here Lindsay. No one's going to hurt you."

Lindsay just burrowed closer. She had no idea why, but she felt so much safer when Bobby was with her. She knew that he would never intentionally let anyone hurt her. "I feel like he's watching me, just waiting," she whispered.

Bobby held her closer. "He can't see you." He figured that she was too afraid to let her common sense enter into her thought process. "You know why?" Lindsay didn't respond so Bobby continued. "My apartment is protected. There's a special wall all around it and no one can see you, not even Chris. You're perfectly safe."

After several minutes, when he felt her calming down, Bobby pulled away slightly. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"I wanted a drink," she said softly. "I forgot where I was and I ran my shoulder into the wall."

"Does it still hurt," Bobby whispered and Lindsay nodded. He stood carefully, lifting her with him and walked over to the bed, setting her against the pillows. He tucked the blankets around her legs then turned on the bedside lamp. "I'll be right back. Will you be okay?" Lindsay nodded and he hurried to the kitchen, gathered what he needed and came back to find her in exactly the same position as he'd left her. He set the pitcher of water on the table next to the bed and handed her two pills. 

Lindsay eyed them skeptically. "What are these? I can't take anything that'll hurt the baby."

"These won't," Bobby assured her. "It's Tylenol. I asked the doctor and he said that you could have two for pain if you needed them. You're not going to be able to sleep if your shoulder is hurting."

Lindsay nodded and placed the pills on her tongue. Bobby then handed her a glass of water and she swallowed the pills. "What's in the pitcher?"

"Water. I don't want you to hurt yourself again." He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her worriedly. "What happened?"

Now more fully awake, Lindsay blushed. "I woke up because I was thirsty. And I remembered what he'd said, that he'd always find me. I couldn't move but I was so thirsty, I thought that if I ran, maybe he wouldn't see me. But I ran into the door jam."

Bobby nodded in sympathy. "Poor Lindsay. Would you feel better if I stayed here until you were asleep?"

Lindsay thought about it, then nodded. "If you don't mind."

"Of course I don't," Bobby assured her. He moved to the other side of the bed and laid down on top of the covers so Lindsay wouldn't be uncomfortable. He held out an arm and she slid over until her head rested on his chest and his arm wrapped around her, gently holding her. Lindsay felt herself relax as Bobby held her and she listened to his heartbeat under her ear. As it had before, the sound soothed her and she felt her eyelids grow heavy as the Tylenol muted the pain in her shoulder. Bobby stroked her hair and spoke quietly to her, assuring her that she was safe until he felt her slip into sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head before drifting back into sleep himself. 

Bobby woke up the next morning and looked down at Lindsay who was still huddled in his arms. He shifted carefully until she was cushioned by the pillows. When her hand searched for something to hold onto, he gave her the stuffed dog from Helen and she drew it closer, relaxing back into sleep. He slipped out of bed and out of the room, making sure to leave the door open so he could hear if she needed anything. Bobby showered then tiptoed back into the room to grab his clothes so he could dress in the bathroom. He then went to call Mike Maguire and see how the case was coming. 

Lindsay woke up about two hours later and looked at the clock. It was 11:00, later than she'd slept in ages. She looked around then and realized that Bobby wasn't there. Since the last thing she remembered was falling asleep in his arms, she went to go find him. 

Bobby was sitting at the counter with a Boston Red Sox mug filled with coffee sitting in front of him while he read the paper. He looked up when he heard her enter the room and smiled gently. "Morning. How did you sleep?"

Lindsay walked into the kitchen and got herself a glass. "Great, after my little...problem. Thanks for staying with me."

"Anytime," he assured her. "Are you still having morning sickness or do you want something to eat?"

Lindsay shook her head. "I still can't handle food very well until the afternoons. I was just going to get some juice." She opened the fridge, stared at it for a second, then turned and said perfectly seriously. "Bobby, I think you've been robbed."

Bobby laughed. "No I haven't."

"There's no food in your fridge! There's beer and something in the back that may have been cooked like 4 years ago."

"So I've been a little behind on shopping lately. Is there anything you want besides juice? I'm sure one of my neighbors has it..." Bobby stood and turned towards the front door.

"It's okay, really Bobby," Lindsay assured him. "I'll have water." She got her drink and sat next to him on another stool. "Have...have you heard anything more about the investigation?"

Bobby shook his head. "I called Mike before you woke up, he said that they're still looking. He doesn't think you should go out alone until they find him. I told him that you weren't planning on it."

Lindsay nodded. She didn't want to even leave the apartment as long as Chris was out on the streets. 

"Oh," Bobby said, suddenly remembering. "I called your OB, Helen gave me the number. She said that you should come in on Friday so she can make sure the baby's okay."

Lindsay smiled slightly. "Thanks. I was going to do that yesterday, I guess I forgot."

"That's understandable," Bobby said as he rose to put his coffee mug in the dishwasher.

They spent most of the day puttering around the house. Bobby worked on a case for awhile and Lindsay, out of boredom, picked up one of his sports magazines and started reading it. Bobby laughed when he came into the living room from his office and found Lindsay laying on the couch, sound asleep with Sports Illustrated in her lap. Seeing the magazine, he groaned and grabbed the phone, dialing his father. 

"Hey Dad. Yeah, I just realized that I won't be able to make the Patriots game next week. No, nothing's wrong. A friend needs me. Yes, a female friend, but not like that." Bobby couldn't help but smile. His father wanted to see him married with tons of babies and he made no secret of that fact. "Ask Uncle Sean to go with you, I'm sure he won't mind. Okay. Yeah, dinner on Sunday's still on, but can we do it here? I can't really explain, it's kind of delicate. Yeah, she'll be here. Be nice, I don't want any match making going on. Okay, I'll see you Sunday. Bye, Dad." Bobby hung up the phone and sat on the couch, scooting Lindsay's legs over. He patted her leg gently. "Lindsay, time to wake up."

Lindsay shifted in her sleep, then winced when she accidentally laid on her left shoulder. The pain brought her completely awake and she sat up, looking at Bobby. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, don't worry," Bobby soothed. "I didn't want you to be awake all night though."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks. How long was I asleep?"

"I don't know, you were asleep when I came out of my office about 45 minutes ago though." He picked up the magazine. "Guess this didn't interest you."

Lindsay laughed. "Sorry. I tried."

"Don't worry about it. We'll get you something tomorrow. Oh, I talked to my dad today." Lindsay nodded and shifted so her feet were on the ground, nodding for Bobby to continue. "He's coming over for dinner tomorrow night."

Lindsay nodded. "I can spend the night in your room, or I'll go see Helen."

"Actually, I was hoping that you'd stay here."

"Bobby..."

"He won't ask any questions, I promise. He already knows that you're staying with me. I think you two will get along really well." 

Lindsay wasn't sure about this. Why did Bobby want her to meet his father anyway? Not that she would have normally minded, but she didn't want to see the horror on another person's face when they saw what had happened to her. She'd seen it on the faces of the doctors and nurses and everyone from the firm. The only reason she was so comfortable around Bobby was that he didn't look at her like she was broken, he still looked at her like she was Lindsay. Only his looks were gentler somehow than before. She wasn't sure why this was, but she decided to wait and see if he was still doing it in a few weeks. She bit her lower lip. "He won't ask questions or be mad that I'm living with you?"

Bobby shook his head and stroked a hand over Lindsay's hair. "No, he won't ask any questions and he won't be mad. I already told him you were here so he has a few days to get used to the idea."

Lindsay nodded slowly. "I guess that's okay. As long as you're sure he won't be upset..."

"I'm positive," Bobby assured her. "I have to go out and do some shopping though. As you noticed, I have no food in the house."

"Bobby, I'm not sure I'm ready to stay alone yet. What if he comes here?" Lindsay's voice cracked with worry and Bobby wrapped an arm around her shoulders for comfort.

"I was going to see how you felt tomorrow, if you felt up to going out. And if you don't then Helen can come over or I can drop you off at her place. I won't leave you alone, I promise."

Lindsay nodded. "Can I see what I feel like tomorrow before telling you what I want to do?"

"Of course," Bobby answered. "Do you want me to call Helen and see if she can come over for dinner?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Helen's probably busy with some case. I feel busy taking up so much of both of your time."

"Linds, we want to be here for you."

Lindsay smiled but before she could respond, the doorbell rang. She jumped and Bobby held a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. When she nodded, Bobby tiptoed to the door and, sliding the chain lock into its slot, opened it slightly, looking out. Rebecca and Ellenor stood in the hall with bags of food.

Bobby smiled at his friends and shut the door, unlocked it, and opened it all the way. "Hey guys," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"We figured you probably wouldn't be able to go shopping," Ellenor said as she walked to Bobby's kitchen and began unpacking the groceries.

"And since you live at the office we realized that you probably didn't have any food either." Bec opened the fridge to put a gallon of milk in and when she saw the contents, or lack thereof, she turned and glared at Bobby. "Bobby Donnell, what have you been feeding Lindsay? And where is she?" 

"Oh, I'll get her," Bobby said as he hurried off, glad to avoid the question about what he'd fed Lindsay. He didn't think take out was Bec's idea of something healthy. He walked into the bedroom and found Lindsay sitting on the bed looking nervous.

"Who was it?" she asked in a whisper. 

Bobby smiled. "Ellenor and Rebecca came by. Come on out."

Lindsay nodded and stood. She walked into the living room with an apprehensive smile on her lips. When she felt Bobby's hand rest on the small of her back she felt slightly better and headed for the kitchen where the women were still unloading the food. 

Rebecca heard Lindsay come in and turned with a smile. "Hey," she said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Lindsay answered by instinct. "What are you guys doing?"

"We brought you guys some food," Ellenor replied. "You have been eating, right? There's no food here."

"We had Chinese last night and we ordered from a deli for lunch," Lindsay answered.

"You didn't have breakfast?" Rebecca asked.

Lindsay shook her head and sat on a stool. "With morning sickness I can't. But Bobby's been taking good care of me."

"Have they heard anymore about Kelton?" Ellenor asked.

Lindsay shook her head and Bobby rubbed her back gently as he answered. "Not yet. I talked to Mike a few hours ago and he said that they've been watching the apartment, the office, and all of the airports and trains. There's been no sign of him, but they're keeping a watch out and they're looking for his licence plate too. We'll catch him though."

"We know you will," Bec assured them both. "We just wanted to come by and see how Lindsay was and to tell you that we miss you."

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back...I don't know when. Maybe next week."

Bobby, standing behind Lindsay shook his head and Ellenor had to suppress a smile. She wasn't sure which was a better idea but she knew that both Lindsay and Bobby would fight to get their way. Ellenor and Bec said goodbye, gave Lindsay hugs, and left. When they'd gone, Lindsay turned to Bobby and smiled slightly.

"That was nice of them."

"Yeah. What do you want for dinner?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I can make pasta."

Bobby laughed. "Okay. Hey, what was that about going to work next week?"

Lindsay shrugged as she put a pot of water on to boil. "I can't stay in your apartment forever. And if they haven't found Chris yet, I'd rather be with you and everyone else at the office than here alone."

"I was thinking I could stay home with you, actually," Bobby said carefully. "I had Bec clear my calendar for me."

Lindsay turned, surprised. "Bobby, I can't ask you to take a whole week off of work to baby-sit for me."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

"Bobby, you've never taken a day off of work in all the time I've worked for you."

Bobby shrugged. "There's a first time for everything. Linds, you need to take a break and rest and heal."

Lindsay bit her lip, she knew that she'd feel better if she could stay home, at least a few days, but she didn't want to force Bobby to stay with her. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Lindsay, I'm positive. We'll stay home this week and you can work on getting better, okay? Plus, the office is too open, anyone can come in. It's safer for you to stay here, at least until Kelton's caught."

Lindsay nodded. "Okay then."

Bobby smiled. "Can you set the table? I'll make my famous garlic bread."

Lindsay began gathering the dishes and they managed to get everything on the table in less than an hour. Bobby poured milk into wineglasses for both of them. Since Lindsay couldn't drink wine, he felt like he shouldn't either. They made their way through the meal, talking about anything but Chris and what Lindsay had been through. Half way through the meal, Lindsay smiled shyly at Bobby.

"Thank you."

Bobby looked up, surprised. "For what?"

"Everything, letting me stay here, in your bed, taking care of me, staying with me last night...you didn't have to do all of this. I appreciate more than I can tell you though."

Bobby smiled and reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "I wanted to do all of this for you. You're one of my best friends, Lindsay and I want to be able to help you."

Lindsay blushed. "If you keep being so sweet to me, I might not want to leave."

Bobby just laughed. He didn't tell her that he didn't want her to leave or that what he'd been feeling towards her was considerably more than friendship. Lindsay needed time to heal and come to terms with everything that had happened with Chris before she could even think of moving forwards and Bobby knew this.

They were cleaning up from dinner when the phone rang. Without thinking, Lindsay picked it up. "Hello?"

"I knew it, you fucking bitch! You whore, you're fucking around on me aren't you? I'll find you. Don't you ever doubt that I'll find you and you'll pay. You ruined me and I'll kill you for it. I should have just killed you when I had the chance you little whore. I should have known you'd spread your legs for Donnell. But you won't get a chance to do it much more. I'll find you, your scum of a boyfriend can't protect you forever. I'll kill you."


	8. Hidden Truths Chapter 8

Bobby turned and immediately dropped to the floor next to Lindsay, gathering her in his arms. She buried her face in his chest and gripped his shirt tightly as she continued to sob.

His voice was thick with worry as he asked, "Lindsay? What happened honey? Who was on the phone? Was it him?" Lindsay nodded and burrowed closer as Bobby hugged her tightly. "We have to call Mike, sweetheart. He has to know." Bobby grabbed the phone and pulled it over to them. "Linds, I need you to try to stop crying for a second, okay?" Lindsay nodded and tried to muffle her sobs as best she could though her body began to shake even more with the effort. Bobby kissed the top of her head gently and dialed Mike at home. "Mike? It's Bobby. Yeah, you need to come over to my apartment. He called. Okay. Thanks. See you then."

Bobby shifted Lindsay so he could hold her more comfortably across his lap. "Mike's on his way over honey. He's going to call Helen too, and they'll be here in a little bit. Okay?" Lindsay nodded and Bobby stood, carefully holding her to his chest. "Let's go sit in the living room." Lindsay didn't respond, she just clung to Bobby and continued to cry. He carried her into the living room and sat down on the couch with Lindsay in his lap and began to rub her back gently and stroke her hair, hoping to help her calm down a little. "Do you want to tell me what he said?" Bobby whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

Lindsay shook her head no and stayed firmly planted in Bobby's arms. Bobby continued stroking her head and began rocking back and forth slightly. "It's okay honey. Whatever he said, he can't hurt you. I won't let him hurt you again. I promise."

They were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Lindsay jumped and burrowed closer to Bobby with a whimper. Bobby hugged her tighter for a minute before tilting her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "I think that's Mike. But in case it's not, I need you to go into the bedroom. I'll come get you if it's Mike, but if I'm not there in five minutes, or you hear anything suspicious, lock the door and call 911. Okay?"

Lindsay nodded and hurried to the bedroom. Bobby waited until he heard the door close behind her before he hurried to the front door and slid the chain lock on. "Who is it?" he called, trying to sound calm.

"Mike Maguire," the voice answered.

Bobby opened the door a crack, leaving the chain on, and saw Mike standing in the hall. He opened the door. "Thanks for coming, Mike."

"No problem. Where's Lindsay?"

"I had her hide in the bedroom, in case it wasn't you."

Mike nodded in understanding. "Why don't you go get her so we can get started? I called Helen and she should be here soon."

Bobby nodded and walked back to the bedroom to get Lindsay. He tried the door and found it locked. "Lindsay," he called softly. "It's me, honey, open the door. Mike's here."

Lindsay opened the door slowly and walked out into Bobby's arms. He held her tightly for a second. "I was afraid it was Chris," she murmured into his chest. 

"I know," Bobby whispered. He kissed the top of her head gently. "Let's go talk to Mike. He said that he called Helen and she's on her way."

Lindsay nodded and linked her fingers with Bobby's as they walked into the living room. Lindsay sat on the couch and Bobby sat next to her, one hand holding hers while the other rubbed gentle circles on her back. Mike sat across from her and took out his notebook and pen. 

Before they could start, there was another knock on the door. Lindsay tensed and Bobby drew her closer to him protectively. Mike stood and walked slowly to the door, his hand on his weapon. He turned the knob and opened the door just a crack to peek out. He was almost run over by Helen who barreled into the room and was by Lindsay's side in an instant. Seeing her friend, Lindsay's eyes filled with tears and she clung to Helen for a moment. 

"He called," Lindsay whispered, her face still buried in Helen's shoulder. "He called and said he's going to kill me."

"Wait a second," Mike said as he sat back down. "I need you to start at the beginning, okay Lindsay?"

Lindsay nodded and faced him. Bobby rubbed her back gently and Helen held her hands, both trying to give her as much strength as they could. "We'd just finished dinner," Lindsay started. "The phone rang so I answered it. It was Chris."

"Did he identify himself?" Mike asked. 

Lindsay shook her head. "No. But I know his voice, I dated him in law school and we dated for about a year with me living with him for half of that. He...he called me a fucking bitch and a whore. He said that I'd ruined him, that he'd find me, and that I'd pay. Then he said he was going to kill me." Lindsay was trying so hard not to cry, but her voice shook violently and tears ran down her cheeks and she turned into Bobby's chest. Bobby wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, trying everything he could think of to soothe her. 

"Can we take a break?" he asked. 

Mike nodded. He hated seeing Lindsay so upset and putting her through it again he knew must be hard on her. But he needed to know what had happened if they were going to catch Chris. And the sooner they did, the better.

Helen made Lindsay mug of warm milk and brought it to her, rubbing her back before Bobby nodded to Mike that they could start again. Lindsay wasn't crying anymore but she looked exhausted. Not that anyone blamed her. It was a lot to go through and it was 11:00 at night. 

Mike picked up his notebook again. "What happened after that?"

"He hung up, I never said anything besides hello. Then we called you."

Mike nodded. "Okay. I want to put a guard on the apartment and the office. I also don't think Lindsay should go anywhere alone or be left alone."

"She won't," Bobby promised.

"Good. I also would like to put a trace on your line here and at the office, along with Lindsay's private line there. If he tries to contact her, I want to know where he's calling from. And do you have caller ID and an answering machine?" Bobby nodded. "Good. Start screening your calls. Do you want private guards?"

Lindsay remained quiet and Bobby nudged her gently. "Linds? Honey, do you want a private guard?"

Lindsay paused, then shook her head. "I don't want a big fuss made, I just want everything to be back to normal."

"Are you sure, Linds?" Helen asked. "Why don't you think about it for a day and let Mike know Monday."

Lindsay shook her head again. "I don't want a guard. If there's one following me I'll be thinking about it all the time, what if he jumps out from behind a parked car, or comes out of a store...I can't live like that."

"Okay," Helen said reluctantly. 

Mike left a few minutes later and Helen hugged her friend tightly. "Do you want me to stay here tonight?"

Lindsay held on for a second longer, then shook her head. "No, no I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah."

"Is there anything you need me to get for you?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Bobby got stuff from the apartment and I don't really need anything."

"Actually," Bobby said. "If you could run by the grocery store for me tomorrow, I'd really appreciate it. I'll give you a list."

"Okay. What time do you need it by? Do you have stuff for breakfast?"

"Probably. Ellenor and Bec brought some food by today but my dad's coming over for dinner and they didn't bring anything for that."

"No problem. What did you want?"

"Uh, some steaks, potatoes, corn on the cob, one of those salads in a bag, Ranch dressing, and could you see if you can find an apple pie and vanilla ice cream?"

"Sure, that doesn't sound to hard. Lindsay, do you want anything?" Helen looked at Lindsay who was slumped against Bobby, sound asleep.

Bobby smiled and shifted so she was positioned more comfortably. "Why don't you find her favorite dessert or something? It'll be a surprise for her."

Helen nodded and smiled. "Okay. Thank you for taking such good care of her, Bobby." Helen's eyes filled with tears. "She needs someone to lean on. I'm glad it's you."

Bobby smiled, unsure of what to say. "So am I," he finally said. He stood and walked Helen to the door. "I'll pay you back for the food when you drop it by. You can come by anytime before 4:30, that's when my dad's getting here"

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Helen walked out the door, then turned back. "Keep her safe."

"I will," Bobby promised. He shut the door and walked over to Lindsay who was still asleep on the couch. He lifted her into his arms and she burrowed closer. Bobby carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed before pausing, stumped. He had no idea how he was going to get her into her pajamas. He didn't want to try to do it himself for two reasons, one being that he didn't want to hurt her and the other being that he didn't think she'd appreciate him undressing her. If she slept in her clothes though she'd be uncomfortable. The only option left was waking her up but he didn't want to do that either. As long as she was sleeping peacefully, he wanted to keep her that way for as long as possible. Finally he gave up and bent down, gently brushing the hair off of her forehead. "Wake up, Lindsay. You need to put on your pajamas now."

"No," she mumbled, rolling over and burying her face in the pillow. "Sleep."

Bobby sighed and reached over, gently turning her face so she was at least looking at him. Or would be if her eyes were open. "Come on, honey. I know you're tired but the sooner you get up and put your pajamas on, the sooner I'll stop bugging you and you can go back to sleep."

"Lemme 'lone, I wanna sleep," Lindsay grumbled, turning her chin away from Bobby's hand.

Bobby rolled his eyes. Leave it to Lindsay to be stubborn even while mostly asleep. He crawled on the bed and stretched out next to her. Gently, he ran his fingers up and down her arm. She twitched slightly but remained asleep. He got a slightly evil look on his face and reached over, dancing his fingers lightly up and down her ribs.

Lindsay's eyes flew open and she sat up with a squeal. "Bobby! That's how you wake a pregnant woman up? TICKLING HER?! And what's so important that I be awake anyway?"

Bobby laughed. "I tried waking you the normal way, you refused. And you need to change into your pajamas."

Lindsay huffed out a breath and stood. She carefully unhooked the sling that her left arm had been in and managed to unbutton her shirt with one hand. She reached for her tank top and wiggled into it. It hurt to raise her left arm or move the shoulder so getting dressed took some doing. She was able to handle changing pants far easier Then she returned to bed, stretching out next to Bobby and scooting so her head was on his chest. "Will you stay here with me tonight?"

Bobby drew her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Of course I will." Bobby wasn't sure how much sleep he'd be getting with Lindsay curled up in his arms, but it would be worth it if she managed to get a full night of sleep. He'd give up sleeping all together if it would make her better. He rubbed her back gently. "You about ready to fall asleep?"

Lindsay tilted her head back and glared at him. "Well, I *was* sleeping until someone woke me up. Now I'm wide awake."

Bobby looked down at her, contrite. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lindsay paused, thinking of before, when they were recreational. Bobby would be talking about a case or something and listening to his voice rumble under her ear, she would fall asleep. She felt a little ridiculous asking but it might work. "You can tell me a story."

Bobby laughed softly. "A story? Like what kind?"

"I don't know, a happy one. Your voice soothes me."

Bobby nodded. "A happy story. Okay, here it goes. A long time ago, in a galaxy far away..." He broke off when Lindsay started giggling.

"Not Star Wars," she said.

"It wasn't Star Wars," he defended. "If you'll let me continue..." Lindsay nodded so Bobby did. "A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, there was a land called Bostonia. And in Bostonia lived a princess named Princess Lindsay. And Princess Lindsay was the kindest, smartest, most beautiful woman in the entire land."

"Bobby," Lindsay objected, blushing.

"Hey, you said you wanted a story...I could stop." Lindsay shook her head and Bobby kept going. "Princess Lindsay was beloved by everyone for her relentless pursuit of justice. She always fought for the rights of people who had no one else to fight for them. Her best friend was Lady Helen and her ladies in waiting were Lady Ellenor and Lady Bec. In this land, there was also a brave, dashing, handsome knight named Sir Bobby."

"How did I guess," Lindsay murmured and Bobby glared at her teasingly.

"*Anyway* Sir Bobby's other knights were Eugene the Bald and Jimmy the Grunt."

Lindsay choked on a laugh and giggled for several seconds before composing herself again. "Sorry. Keep going."

"But in Bostonia, as in all magical lands, there was an evil wizard. He was cruel and unjust and he hated Princess Lindsay because she was everything that he was not. So one day, the evil wizard decided that he was going to do away with Princess Lindsay, that way her love and beauty couldn't reach the world ever again. The thing he hated most was that Princess Lindsay gave off a magical light which lit up the entire world. It had been with her since she was born and it was the most beautiful light that anyone had ever seen and it showed the world that she was special. The evil wizard plotted how he was going to steal Princess Lindsay away from the rest of the world and snuff out her magical light. As the evil wizard was getting ready the night before, his stable hand was outside the window and heard his plan. Mike, the stable hand jumped on the horse and rode to town to find Sir Bobby and warn him of the evil wizard's plot. 

"On the day that the evil wizard planned to carry out his evil act, Princess Lindsay made a wonderful announcement. She was going to have a baby. The entire land was so happy and so excited because they knew that Princess Lindsay would be the best mother in the world. Mike rode up to Sir Bobby and told him what he'd heard. Sir Bobby was furious that anyone would ever want to hurt someone as wonderful and loving as Princess Lindsay. He swore right then that he'd protect Princess Lindsay with his life..." Bobby looked down and saw that Lindsay was once again sound asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead lightly before closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep himself. But sleep was a long time in coming.The next day Mike came by and put traces in all of the phones. Helen came by a few hours later and delivered the food for dinner that night. She'd also included nail polish remover, a couple of bottles of nail polish, and Lindsay's favorite ice cream, Ben & Jerry's Half Baked, and her favorite breakfast cereal, Golden Grahams. Lindsay did all she could to help Bobby, which wasn't much since she still couldn't use her left arm. She was nervous about meeting his father, but didn't want to let on to Bobby. She felt as if she were meeting a boyfriend's parents for the first time. 

The doorbell rang at 4:15 and Lindsay looked at Bobby nervously. "It'll be fine," he assured her. "He'll love you." Like I do, he added silently. 

Lindsay smiled as Bobby let his father in. Stephen Donnell looked around and smiled when he saw Lindsay. "Hello," he said walking over to her and holding out his right hand. "I'm Stephen, Bobby's father."

Lindsay felt slightly more reassured, Bobby's father seemed nice. "It's nice to meet you, Stephen. I'm Lindsay Dole."

Stephen smiled. "So you're Lindsay Dole. I've heard a lot about you." Lindsay's eyes grew big and she bit his lip nervously. Stephen continued with a smile. "My son's told me all about you and what a talented lawyer you are. He said you were pretty, but he didn't say how pretty."

Lindsay blushed. "Thank you. He also didn't mention that his father was such a good liar."

Stephen and Lindsay laughed and Bobby relaxed. Since he'd arranged their meeting, he'd been worried. What would he do if the two most important people in his life didn't get along? That didn't seem to be a problem though. Lindsay and his father were sitting on the couch, talking like they'd known each other for years. Bobby got a beer for his father and brought Lindsay a glass of water before sitting down next to them.

"And there he was, in the middle of the football field with his pants around his ankles," Stephen finished and Lindsay laughed.

Bobby groaned. "Not that story again, Dad!"

"Lindsay hadn't heard it yet," Stephen defended with a wink for Lindsay. 

"She didn't need to," Bobby insisted, his face bright red. 

"Sure she did," Stephen insisted teasingly. "All right, all right. I won't tell her the story of when you were seven and went through your stunt man phase."

"Oh, God," Bobby groaned.

"He did," Lindsay laughed again, delighted.

"Oh, it was awful. He'd ride his bike into bushes on purpose! He tried to jump off the roof once, like they had in some western movie. He broke his arm in three places. His mother almost killed him!" Stephen and Bobby went quiet then and Lindsay realized that they didn't talk about Bobby's mother. 

She reached over and squeezed Stephen's hand gently. "I hope my children never do anything like that," she said, hoping to change to topic.

Stephen turned to her with an interested look on his face. "Do you have any children?"

Lindsay shook her head slowly. "Not yet," she answered softly.

Bobby smiled gently. "Lindsay's pregnant, Dad."

Stephen tried to mask the look of surprise. "Really. Congratulations, honey. You're in a relationship then?"

Lindsay paused, then shook her head again. "No. The father's not in the picture anymore. He doesn't even know."

Stephen made a sympathetic noise. "That's alright dear. You'll have Bobby to help you and from what he's told me, everyone at your office is very close. And do you have family nearby?"

"We're not close," Lindsay answered. "My parents are divorced and my brother left home as soon as he was 18."

"That's too bad. But you still have all of your friends. And you know what they say about friends, don't you?" Lindsay shook her head and Stephen smiled. "Friends are the family you chose for yourself."

Lindsay smiled and leaned over, kissing Stephen's cheek. "You're so sweet Stephen. Now I know where Bobby gets it from."

Stephen patted her hand gently. "You're a good girl, Lindsay."

Bobby smiled warmly at the scene. He'd hoped that this meeting would be good for Lindsay and it looked like it was. For the rest of the meal, they talked about work and Bobby and Stephen discussed the Patriots' chances. When Stephen left, several hours later, he hugged Lindsay tightly . "Take care, Lindsay. It was wonderful meeting you and I hope that I'll get to see you again soon."

Lindsay smiled and kissed his cheek. "So do I, Stephen."

Bobby and his father hugged goodbye and when he'd left, Bobby turned to Lindsay with an anxious expression. "What did you think?"

Lindsay smiled and sat down on the couch. "I think he's wonderful. Do you think he liked me?"

Bobby sat next to her and slid an arm around her shoulders with a smile. "He loved you."

Lindsay grinned, then yawned. "What do you want to do now?"

"Why don't we watch a movie? Then if we fall asleep it's not a big deal."

Lindsay thought about the idea, then came up with one of her own. "What happens next?"

Bobby gave her a strange look. "What do you mean what happens next?"

"In the story. What happens next?"

Bobby laughed. "So you want to hear more of the story."

Lindsay nodded, then stood quickly. "Wait though. I want to put on my pajamas so you don't have to tickle me awake again tonight." Bobby laughed and Lindsay was back a few minutes later, dressed in her pajamas and carrying the nail polish remover and nail polish. Bobby watched her as she sat on the floor and began removing the polish from her toenails.

"What are you doing?"

Lindsay looked up, surprised. "Every Sunday night, I paint my toenails. It kind of helps me relax and get ready for the week."

Bobby nodded and leaned back against the couch. "So, you wanted to know what Bostonia looks like."

Lindsay nodded. "You never told me last night."

"Well, it's beautiful, of course. The grass is moss green and so soft, it's like walking on a giant pillow. And there are flowers everywhere. Pinks and yellows and purples. And they give off the most beautiful delicate smell. The trees all have branches that are low enough to the ground for the kids to climb and the leaves bend like willow trees to make little hideaways. The sun shines, all the time, even when it's raining. In the winter they get light fluffy snow that never turns brown and slushy and when it melts, it just disappears. But even when it snows, it's always nice and warm." Lindsay finished painting her nails and moved up to the sofa, leaning against Bobby's chest as he continued. "The entire land is covered by a beautiful silver light that makes everything shimmer."

"The light that Princess Lindsay gives off?" Lindsay asked. "Or another one?"

"Well, there's a sun of course. But the silvery light is the one that Princess Lindsay gives off. It's what makes everything seem so much more beautiful. And..." Bobby was interrupted again, this time by the telephone. Lindsay, who'd been lulled by the story and the images floating through her head, tensed and sat up, looking at the phone in terror. Bobby glanced at the caller ID and saw Eugene's cell phone number. He smiled reassuringly at Lindsay. "It's okay, it's Eugene." He picked up the phone. "Hey Eugene. What's up?"

"Bobby, I think you better come down to the office, man."

"Why?" Bobby asked, sitting up quickly.

"I came by to get a file and the window had been smashed in. It's been totally trashed. The computer's broken, there's papers everywhere. Even your office. The couch has been slashed and the mirror and sink in your bathroom are broken too. There's some writing on the wall too...I think I'll let you see it for yourself."

"Shit," Bobby spat. He jumped up and grabbed his keys. "I'll be right there. Call everyone else. Don't worry about Lindsay, she's with me. I'll call Mike Maguire."

"Okay. I'll wait here for you."

Bobby slammed the phone down and Lindsay looked at him, frightened. "Bobby? What happened?"

He spun around, then forced himself to calm down for her sake. "Eugene said someone broke into the office. It's trashed. I'm going down there, I can call Helen..."

Lindsay was already up and stepping into a pair of flip flops that were laying on the living room floor. "I'm coming with."

"You don't have to..."

"Bobby, we both know that Chris probably did this. It's my fault. I want to see it, I need to."

"Lindsay, this isn't your fault!"

"I'm coming," Lindsay insisted. She grabbed a hooded sweatshirt and tossed it around her shoulders. Bobby saw that she wouldn't be refused and nodded. They hurried down to the car and Bobby drove to the office as quickly as he could while he called Mike who promised to meet them there. He parked in the garage across the street and he and Lindsay ran up the five flights of stairs leading to their office. Eugene met them at the end of the hall. 

"I just got off the phone with Jimmy. Ellie and Bec are on their way. Did you call Mike?"

"Yeah, he's on his way over. Let's go take a look."

They walked slowly to the door and Lindsay gasped in horror. Lamps were broken, papers were strewn across the office, their computer monitor was smashed on the ground. Lindsay glanced at her desk and a sob caught in her throat. The word "whore" was splashed across the wall behind her desk and everything on her desk, picture frames, files, anything that could be destroyed had been. 

Bobby turned her gently away from the sight and Lindsay wrapped her good arm around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Bobby stroked a hand up and down her back, trying to calm her.

"Is this the worst of it?" he asked Eugene. 

Eugene shook his head. "Your office looks like her desk. Do you want to go see it?"

Bobby was about to nod but was interrupted by Ellenor arriving closely followed by Bec.

"Oh my God," Bec whispered in shock.

"What the hell happened?" Ellenor demanded.

"It's my fault," Lindsay whispered, turning to face her colleagues. "Chris did this to scare me. I'm so sorry. I'll pay for everything he broke, I'll fix the files. I'll fix it."

"It's not your fault," Bobby insisted. "And you don't need to pay for anything. We'll figure something out. I'm going to go check my office."

Bobby walked into his office and felt his stomach curl. The sofa had been slashed to ribbons and the books were torn apart, littering the room. The pictures were broken and laying around the room. He glanced in the bathroom and saw that the mirror and sink were broken, just as Eugene had said. The word "die" was painted across the wall behind his desk.

Bobby moved over to his desk and collapsed in his chair, looking out the window. This practice was everything to him, or at least it had been before Lindsay. He'd built it with Bec using his own money most of the time. He'd worked long hours and put everything into it. Now that it was finally starting to run in the black, after all these years it had been destroyed, at least physically. Tears of frustration and fear welled in his eyes. Not only had his office just been destroyed, but the man who'd done it was after Lindsay. As much as Bobby wanted to believe he could, he didn't know how he was going to protect Lindsay from him. If Kelton was capable of this, Bobby didn't want to think of what he'd do to Lindsay. Bobby rested his head in his hands, trying to figure out what to do next. But before he could come to any conclusions, Lindsay walked softly into the office.

"Bobby?" she asked softly. "Oh my God. I'm sorry Bobby. I'm so so sorry that I did this."

Bobby's head jerked up and he saw Lindsay standing in front of him, tears shimmering in her blue eyes. Bobby stood up. "Lindsay, it's not your fault."

"Yes it is," she insisted. "If I hadn't left him, he wouldn't have done this. I brought him into the office, into your lives. If I hadn't come to you..."

"You could be dead," Bobby yelled. Lindsay took a step back and he rounded the desk. "I don't want to ever hear you say again that this is your fault, Lindsay because it isn't! Don't you get it? I'm pissed off about the office but I'm more scared than anything. I'm scared that he's going to find a way to hurt you and that I won't be there to protect you! I'd rather have the office torn apart everyday than have you get hurt again!" 

Tears fell down Bobby's face as he pulled Lindsay into his arms. She held on tightly, tears anointing his shirt as she trembled. "God, Linds. You mean more to me than a stupid office," he confessed, his voice husky. "We'll come back from this, we'll buy a new computer, it'll be okay. But you...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." Bobby stopped himself just short of what he'd wanted to say next. I love you. He knew that Lindsay wasn't ready to hear it yet. 

Lindsay still held on, trying to give Bobby as much strength as she could. She felt slightly better but despite his words, she knew that it was her fault. She vowed then and there that she was going to fix things, no matter what it took. She'd pay for the office to be cleaned, for new appliances, for a new couch for Bobby, anything to make it like this had never happened.

Mike arrived a few minutes later. Eugene gave a statement of what he'd seen when he came in and the rest of the firm was interviewed too. The police came and, after dusting for prints and taking pictures of the whole office, they allowed the members of the firm to begin cleaning up. Everyone had to make a list of office supplies that were broken in addition to trying to salvage what they could of their personal belongings. 

Despite everyone's protests, Lindsay worked harder than anyone. She cleaned up the area around her desk as best she could, then went to work on the library. Most of the books were destroyed, ripped to shreds with no hope of putting the pages back together, but Lindsay did the best she could. She threw out the books that couldn't be saved and tried to arrange the ones that could on what was left of the book shelves. Most of the shelves had been splintered into pieces and the metal ones were bent beyond repair. 

Bobby worked mostly in his office, cleaning up the remains and trying not to think of all the work that had gone into them. When he finally emerged it was past 2 in the morning. The others had left around midnight, promising to return early the next morning. The office was in good enough shape to try to conduct business. Unfortunately, important documents for clients had been destroyed and would have to be gotten again, causing the lawyers to redo most of the work. When Bobby came out, he found Lindsay standing behind her desk. The desk had piles of personal mementos on it, pictures of her that had been smashed, her law degree in its broken frame, her favorite coffee mug from New York, little things that hurt because Chris knew they were important and had tried to destroy them. Lindsay herself was standing on a crate with a bucket on the file cabinet next to her and was scrubbing desperately at the word on the wall.

"Lindsay?" he asked softly.

"It won't come off," she said softly, her voice choked with tears. 

"Come on, honey," Bobby said gently. He placed his hands on her hips and tried to pull her down from the crate. "You don't have to do this. It's late, let's go home and try to forget this."

"I've been scrubbing for over an hour and it's still not coming off," Lindsay's voice broke and she began crying in earnest. "I have to get it off. I never cheated on him, I didn't. I'm not a whore." Bobby gently lifted her off the crate, but she fought him, trying to climb back up. "I have to clean it up," she insisted.

"Lindsay, you're pregnant, you don't need this. You don't deserve this. You should be at home right now sound asleep, not trying to clean graffiti off a wall."

"It's not true," she exclaimed. "He thinks it is, he's the father of my child, I lived with him, I thought I loved him and this is what he thinks of me. He hates me so much because I didn't love him...I couldn't be good enough for him..."

Bobby turned her so she was facing him and spoke firmly. "Lindsay look at me. You're too good for him, he doesn't deserve someone like you. You haven't done a single thing wrong. There's no way that you could have predicted this. Come here." Bobby sat down in her office chair and pulled her into his lap. "We're going to get this all cleaned up, I promise. Everyone knows you're not what that says. Everyone."

"I just want this to be over," Lindsay whispered. "I want it to be like it was before."

"I know," Bobby murmured. "Hey, you know what?" Lindsay shook her head and Bobby smiled slightly. "Now we'll have to redo the office like you're always asking to."

Lindsay's eyes welled with tears again. "But you don't want to. You liked the office the way it was. I'll fix it, I promise. It'll look just like it did before..."

"Lindsay," Bobby said, stopping her. "If I wanted it the way it was before, we could do that. But maybe you've been right, maybe we need to upgrade a little. You want to do something to fix this? I'll put you in charge of the renovations. You can do whatever you want to it, okay?"

Lindsay looked at him, clearly unconvinced. "I want to help pay for it. Please Bobby, I won't feel right unless I do."

Bobby sighed. "Fine. You can pay for *some* of it. Okay?"

Lindsay nodded and yawned. Bobby drew her close. He felt bad keeping her there so late, but he hadn't realized how much time had passed. Lindsay looked exhausted though. She had dark circles under her eyes and could barely keep them open. 

"Let's go home. It's been a long day and you need to rest."

"I'm okay," Lindsay murmured, half asleep.

Bobby laughed wryly. "I'm sure you are." He stood, helping her stand, and leading her out of the room. They were silent on the way home, both lost in their own thoughts. Bobby wrapped his arms around Lindsay's waist in the elevator, allowing her to lean against him. Once in the apartment, Lindsay took off her flip flops and started walking towards the bedroom. As she walked, Bobby realized that she wasn't having a hard time walking because of exhaustion, she was limping. He looked at the top of her flip flop and saw it was stained red and there were red spots on the ground where she'd walked. He hurried after her and caught her, lifting her into his arms.

"Bobby, what are you doing?" Lindsay exclaimed, shocked. 

"You're hurt, why didn't you tell me?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your foot's bleeding and you're limping."

"Oh," Lindsay blushed slightly as Bobby deposited her on the bed. "Flip flops and broken glass don't mix. I think a piece got stuck in my shoe."

"Let me look," Bobby said, carefully taking her right foot in his hand. He turned her a bit so he could use the light and winced at the cut on her foot. "It doesn't look like it needs stitches, but it must hurt like hell."

"I didn't notice," Lindsay answered honestly. 

"Come on, you need to put peroxide on it and I want to make sure there's no glass left in it." He picked her up again and Lindsay couldn't help but laugh a little. Bobby looked back at her, confused. "What are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking that you're getting quite a work out lately, carrying me around."

"You're not heavy," Bobby insisted.

"Just wait a few months," Lindsay answered.

"You still won't be too heavy." He sat her on the toilet and put a basin under her foot. He then poured peroxide over the wound. Lindsay hissed out a breath as the liquid stung and bit her lip. Once he was satisfied that it was clean, Bobby held her foot up to the light. "I think I see a piece of glass. I'm going to try to take it out with some tweezers, okay?" Lindsay nodded and he carefully pulled a small shard out of her foot. "I'll put a bandage on it for you, but we should probably get it looked at tomorrow."

Lindsay shook her head. "I'll be fine."

Bobby nodded, reluctantly agreeing and bandaged her foot before carrying her again into the bedroom. He turned to leave, but Lindsay called after him, "Where are you going?"

"I was going to go to the couch."

"Please don't," she said softly. "With him out there, I feel better knowing you're here."

Bobby climbed in next to her and for once, despite their fears, neither of them had any trouble sleeping.


	9. Hidden Truths Chapter 9

Bobby was woken up after barely four hours of sleep by the shrill ringing of a phone. He shifted so he could grab it before it woke Lindsay and answered without thinking. "'lo?" he mumbled, not being at his best in the morning.

"Why didn't you call me?" Helen demanded.

"What? When?"

"Last night, when the office was broken into. Why didn't you call?"

Bobby sighed and climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb Lindsay. "I called Mike. We did most of the clean up last night, at least what we could."

"How bad is it? The pictures aren't back from the lab yet but I read the report. It sounds awful."

"It is," Bobby agreed. "He did a number on the whole place but most of it was focused on Lindsay's desk and my office."

"You didn't leave her alone last night, did you?" Helen demanded.

"Of course not. I offered to call you and have you come over to stay with her while I went there, but she insisted on coming with me."

Helen sighed. "Where is she now?"

"Still sleeping. We didn't get to bed until almost 3 in the morning. It's now 7:09."

"How's she doing?" Helen asked.

Bobby flopped down on the couch. He was still exhausted and wanted to go back to sleep. Still, he couldn't ignore Helen's worry for her friend. "She blames herself. Last night, she kept apologizing and promising to pay for everything. She worked so hard to clean it up, no matter what anyone tried to do to stop her."

"I'll stop by this evening after work to see her."

"I'm sure she'd like that. Can you call me the second the police know anything?"

"Of course. Go back to bed, I'll talk to you later."

"K. Night Helen."

Helen laughed. "Goodnight, Bobby."

Bobby hung up the phone and walked back into the bedroom. He couldn't help but smile at the sight that presented itself. Lindsay, apparently looking for him in her sleep, had slid over in the bed so she was now on his side, clutching his pillow. Bobby slid into her side and spooned up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Lindsay sighed and relaxed against him and Bobby kissed the back of her neck gently, his hand sliding to rest over the baby, before he drifted back to sleep.

Bobby woke up again several hours later to Lindsay thrashing in the bed and crying. "Stop...no...don't hurt...STOP! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bobby sat up quickly, gathering Lindsay to him. In her sleep she fought desperately. "Lindsay, baby wake up. It's just a bad dream. No one's going to hurt you sweetheart. It's Bobby, it's okay. I'm here."

Lindsay's eyes flew open on a sob and she stared at Bobby for a second in surprise before wrapping her good arm around his neck and holding on tightly. "He killed you," she sobbed, trembling.

"What? Who? No honey, no I'm right here, I'm fine. See? I'm all right." Bobby held her until the shaking stopped and she seemed calmer. "What happened?" he asked soothingly.

"I had a dream," she said softly. She shifted so she was still in his arms, needing to be near him. "Chris came. He was so angry...he had a gun and he pointed it at you. I screamed and screamed but nothing came out. And while I was watching, he shot you."

"Oh Lindsay. I'm okay. I'm right here, I'm safe. No one's going to hurt me."

"It was so real," Lindsay whispered. "I was so scared and there was nothing I could do to save you." She curled closer. "I couldn't stand if something happened to you, Bobby. You've been so good to me and there's no one else I'd be able to trust as much as you."

Bobby stroked a hand up and down her arm to soothe her. "I'm glad you feel that way. I had an idea that I've been thinking about."

"Mm-hm?"

"I was thinking that maybe you should move in with me."

Lindsay tilted her head so she could look at him. "Bobby, in case you haven't noticed, I've been living here for the past few days."

"I know, silly. I meant after this. Like for real."

Lindsay sat up, a worried frown on her face. "Bobby, I'm grateful for everything you've done. Really, I appreciate it. And I've felt safer and happier here in the past five days than I have in over a year. But I...I can't just jump from a relationship, especially one like I had with Chris, into another intimate relationship. I need time to come to terms with all of this, I mean they haven't even caught him yet! I...I need time Bobby. I don't know where I'm going from here, what I'm going to do. I don't know when, or if, I'll be able to risk putting myself in that situation again."

"Lindsay, honey I wasn't proposing that we start a relationship right now. I know you need to deal with a lot right now. But I like having you here, I like spending time with you. It's nice to have someone to come home with, to make dinner with and talk to."

"So, we'd be like roommates?"

"Sure," Bobby smiled, hoping that she'd agree.

Lindsay paused. "Can I think about it for a few days?"

"Of course."

Lindsay smiled and slid out of bed. "I'm hungry. Do you want me to make something for you too?"

"I'll come with," Bobby said, following her into the kitchen. "How's your foot doing?"

Lindsay turned and smiled. "Someone did such a good job doctoring it that it doesn't hurt at all. What do you want to eat?"

Bobby shrugged. "I don't care. I'm going to call Eugene, see how things are going at the office."

"Do you want to go down there?"

"We're staying here," Bobby answered firmly. "I'll call, but I don't think it's good for you to be there right now. It's too stressful for you."

"Bobby I'm not a child, I know what I can handle."

"I know. But you don't always listen to what your body's telling you. How many times have you fallen asleep at the office?"

"That wasn't always because of working, Bobby."

"I know. But a lot of it was. At least until recently."

Lindsay sighed and made each of them a sandwich while Bobby called the office. He came back half an hour later and Lindsay glanced at him worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"Eugene said that Mike was there already and that they're all trying to put back together what they can and get the files reorganized. Ellie's down at the courthouse asking for continuances for all of the cases and Jimmy's trying to get copies of what documents they can." Seeing Lindsay's despondent face, Bobby began rubbing her back. "Hey, I told you that we're going to come back from this and we will."

Lindsay nodded. "Have you heard from Mike yet today?"

"No he hasn't called. Helen did though. She was furious that we didn't call her last night. She said that she'll stop by this evening."

Lindsay nodded again. "I made you turkey and cheese, I hope it's okay."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Bobby sat down and they ate in silence. While Bobby cleaned up after the meal, Lindsay showered and got dressed. Even if she couldn't go into the office, at least she felt better if she was dressed. Before putting the sling back on her arm, Lindsay stood in front of the bathroom mirror and slowly tried to raise her left arm as high as she could in front of her. She could raise it so the palm of her hand was about even with her ribs. It wasn't very far but it was the furthest she'd moved her arm in days and the furthest it could go without really hurting. She put a little neosporin on the stitches on her cheek, hoping to minimize the scar, and covered it with a band-aid. She was just walking out of the bathroom when she heard the doorbell ring. Lindsay froze for a second but she heard Bobby's greeting clearly.

"Kristian. It's great to see you again. How have you been? Of course she is, let me get her." Bobby knocked on the door and opened it. "Kristian's here to see you. I think she wants to make sure you're okay."

Lindsay nodded and walked into the living room. Kristian stood up and gasped. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry Lindsay...I had no idea."

Lindsay smiled slightly. "I know. I'm okay. Congratulations on the acquittal."

Kristian smiled. "You did it, Lindsay." She glanced down when a little blond boy wrapped his arm around her leg. Kristian bent and lifted him up. "Connor, honey this is Lindsay. She's the nice lady that let me come home. Lindsay, this is my son Connor."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at the little boy. "Hi, Connor."

"Hi," Connor said softly. "Thank you for bringing Mommy home."

Lindsay blinked back tears as she stroked a hand over Connor's soft hair. "I'm glad I could sweetie." 

Kristian stepped aside, revealing two children who both looked to be about a year and a half and three, sound asleep on the sofa. "And that's Justin and Emily. I wasn't sure if I should bring them...they can be a handful when they're awake. But I wanted you to see them, to see what you gave back to me."

Lindsay smiled. This was one of the times that she was really pleased with the outcome of a case. "You deserve it Kristian. Thank you for bringing them though, they're beautiful."

Kristian smiled and held Connor closer for a moment. "They're everything. Lindsay, what happened to you...I'm so sorry."

Lindsay looked surprised. "It's not your fault."

"It was my case Lindsay. You were trying to defend me and help me when he hurt you."

Lindsay shook her head and glanced worriedly at Connor before speaking. "Kristian, none of what happened to me is your fault. He started hitting me long before I took your case. But if it hadn't been for your case, I might still be with him, walking on eggshells and afraid all the time."

"Have they caught him yet?"

Lindsay shook her head. "They're working on it though."

Kristian nodded, then smiled slightly. "Are you and Bobby..."

Lindsay's jaw almost dropped. "No! I mean, we're friends, that's all. He's letting me stay here to be nice. We're just friends."

Kristian nodded knowingly. "Well, good luck with everything. Thank you again."

Lindsay looked at the children sleeping on Bobby's couch. "I'm glad it worked out," she said earnestly. Kristian left and Bobby came back into the room to find Lindsay sitting on the couch, staring off into space.

"Hey," he said softly. "How did it go?"

Lindsay turned. "Great, actually. I'm so glad I could help her, Bobby. Even if it was only a little and the end wasn't really my doing..."

"You did a ton," Bobby insisted. "You worked your butt off every night for her and look, she's back with her kids, where she belongs."

Lindsay nodded and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"No problem. What do you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I dunno. I'm getting kind of tired of being inside all the time. Not that I don't like your apartment," Lindsay quickly covered. "I just want to go out...even if it's just for a little while."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Bobby asked worriedly as he took her hand gently.

Lindsay nodded. "I can't live my life looking over my shoulder. It's not me."

"I know it's not," Bobby said. "Okay, we'll go out tonight. Where do you want to go?"

Lindsay thought for a minute. "Why don't we go to dinner and a movie? My treat."

"Dinner and a movie sounds great," Bobby agreed, thinking that it also sounded like a date. "But you don't have to treat."

"You've done so much for me though. You're letting me stay here, you're feeding me, taking care of me, putting your life on hold to help me straighten out mine...I know it's not much, but I'd feel so much better if I could at least pay for tonight."

Bobby smiled. "Okay, you can pay. Does that mean that I can chose where we eat and what we see?"

Lindsay laughed and shook her head. "You can choose where we eat since I'm not terribly picky at the moment. The baby seems to want whatever I can give it. But I'm choosing the movie. I don't want to watch people get blown up for two hours."

Bobby sighed. "No chick flicks though, please?"

"Fine, no chick flicks. How about 'As Good As It Gets'? It's gotten really good reviews."

Bobby nodded. "Sounds good to me. Just let me grab my coat."

They went to McCall's for dinner, then sat in the back row of the movie theater since it had love seats. Lindsay rested her head on Bobby's shoulder and felt herself slowly begin to relax. It had felt good to be out in public again, to have dinner and go to a movie and not fear that any little mistake she might make would result in harsh punishment later. 

Bobby felt her slowly unwind and sink into him, he could almost feel the tension leaving her body as she laid her head on his shoulder. He smiled down at her, glad that she was finally able to take care of herself. Bobby shifted so his arm was around her shoulders and he felt her lean against him and watched her reach over for a handful of popcorn from the bucket that was resting on his lap. When the movie ended, it was nearly midnight. They drove home and crawled into bed, it now being natural for them to sleep together, even if all they did was sleep. As Lindsay cuddled up to him again, Bobby smiled down. "Do you want to hear more of the story?"

Lindsay nodded. "I'm too awake still from the movie to fall asleep."

"What do you want to hear?"

Lindsay thought for a second. "What happened after Sir Bobby found out that the evil wizard was going to hurt Princess Lindsay?"

"Well, Sir Bobby wanted to protect Princess Lindsay and her baby, so he told Princess Lindsay about the evil wizard's plan and they decided that Princess Lindsay should stay with Sir Bobby so he could make sure that she was safe all the time. And Eugene the Bald and Jimmy the Grunt and Mike were going to help protect Princess Lindsay. The evil wizard tried everything he could to get to Princess Lindsay, he went to the palace, he went to the stables where her horses were kept, he even went to Lady Helen's house, but he couldn't find Princess Lindsay anywhere. As Sir Bobby was taking care of Princess Lindsay, he realized just how wonderful she really was. He was so proud of her for being so strong. With everything that was going on, and even knowing of the evil wizard's plot, she still wanted to help people. Sir Bobby was so excited that she was going to have a baby because then there would be another beautiful, kind, smart, caring person in the world, just like her. And the more time he spent with her, the more Sir Bobby realized that he was in love with Princess Lindsay."

Bobby looked down in shock. He hadn't meant to add in that last sentence, he knew Lindsay was nowhere near ready to hear that he loved her. Thankfully, Lindsay was sound asleep, her head pillowed on his chest. He kissed her head lightly. "Sleep tight."

Over the next few days, Bobby and Lindsay both began feeling safer. Chris hadn't been caught, but he also hadn't made any more moves. There had been no phone calls and nothing at the office. Lindsay was hoping that he'd left town and wouldn't come back. She began finding things in catalogues that she wanted to do to the office and planning the renovations. Bobby was insistent that neither of them go into work for the rest of the week, which was driving Lindsay a little nuts. She was used to being busy all the time. Everyday she worked her arm and by Tuesday could raise it shoulder high. 

Wednesday night they ordered pizza. Lindsay was getting out of the bath when she heard the doorbell ring and she quickly got dressed in her pajamas.

Bobby opened the door to reveal the pizza guy staring at the floor with a cap over his head. Bobby let the pizza guy in. "Just a second," he said absently. "I forgot to grab my wallet."

Bobby grabbed his wallet from the table and turned to see the barrel of a gun and behind it, the cold furious eyes of Chris Kelton. The cap was thrown on the floor and Bobby felt his heart clench with fear. Lindsay was in the bedroom, she had no idea what was going on.

"Where is she?" Chris demanded, his voice dangerously low. "Where the FUCK is Lindsay?"

"You're not going to take her. There's a guard, he'll be here any second, you won't get five feet with her."

"Then I'll just have to kill her," Chris sneered, the gun never moving from being pointed at Bobby's head. "You too. You thought you could just come in and steal my girlfriend. Mr. Big-shot-never-loses-a-case Donnell can have whatever he wants, is that what you thought? Well you're wrong. Lindsay is mine."

Bobby drew a shaky breath. "She's not yours, she's not anyone's."

"We'll see about that." 

As Chris cocked the gun, Lindsay walked out of the bedroom and saw the scene in front of her. "NO!" she screamed and without pausing to think, she leapt across the living room and dove, tackling Chris as a gunshot reverberated through the apartment and Bobby fell to the ground.


	10. Hidden Truths Chapter 10

Lindsay saw Bobby fall out of the corner of her eye and screamed, "BOBBY!" She couldn't stop though, she had to get the gun away from Chris. She knew, without a doubt, that he'd kill her, the baby, and Bobby if she didn't. 

Lindsay had the element of surprise on her side, but she was smaller and lighter than Chris. He flipped her quickly, but she fought back desperately. She clawed at his face, kicked, bit, did everything she could think of. Chris held her hands tightly and smacked her several times across the face but she was so desperate to stop him that she didn't even feel it. She managed to position her knee and bring it up hard, hitting him in the crotch. When he froze in pain, she wrenched her right arm free and rammed the heel of her hand into his nose. Blood spurted out of it onto her face and clothes but Lindsay didn't care. 

She pushed him off of her and rolled on top of him, smacking his hand that held the gun into the floor until he released it. Then she grabbed him by the shirt collar and smacked his head against the floor twice. When he was unconscious, Lindsay stood up, grabbed the gun, and raced over to Bobby, tears streaming down her face. Bobby was standing up slowly and Lindsay had never been more relieved. He must be okay, he could stand.

Bobby saw Lindsay was okay and pulled her into his arms, holding tightly. "You're okay?" he asked softly.

Lindsay nodded against his chest. "He hit me a few times, I think."

Bobby drew back, needing to really look at her. "Lindsay, you're covered in blood!"

"It's his," she answered.

Bobby nodded. "Give me the gun and go call Mike."

Lindsay obeyed and as she turned to go, her gaze landed on his left shoulder. There was a deep gash that was oozing blood down his arm. "Bobby, you're hurt!"

Bobby shook his head, now aware of the intense pain. He'd been so worried about Lindsay that he hadn't noticed his own injury. "The bullet just grazed me."

"You need to go to the hospital!"

"I will," Bobby assured her. "As soon as he's taken away."

Lindsay made the call and returned to see that Bobby had tied Chris's hands behind his back with a handkerchief and tied his ankles the same way so even if he regained consciousness, he couldn't get away. Lindsay stood, shivering, in the doorway to the living room, holding a towel.

"Lindsay? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I brought you a towel...to help the bleeding. I'm so cold," she whispered. "So cold."

He took the towel and pressed it gently to his injury. Then Bobby grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and threw it around her shoulders. "You're in shock, honey. You're coming to the hospital too."

Lindsay didn't answer and Bobby sat down on the couch, pulling her into his lap and holding her tightly, in an effort to warm her, while trying not to pass out from the wound on his shoulder. 

Mike arrived within 10 minutes and he stared at the scene in shock. He took one look at Bobby and Lindsay, Bobby who was bleeding still and Lindsay who was sitting huddled in his lap like a child, and called for two ambulances. When they arrived, Lindsay was loaded into one and Bobby the other with the promise that they'd go to the same hospital. Mike also called Helen and asked her to call Bobby's father and meet them there.

Helen raced into St. Anne's and up to the desk. "I'm looking for Lindsay Dole," she demanded.

The nurse nodded. "She's in exam 3."

"Do you know what happened?"

The nurse shook her head. "I don't know the whole story. Ms. Dole is suffering from a little shock. You can see her, but she needs to calm down. It's very important that she stays in bed until we're sure that she's alright."

Helen nodded. "I'll make sure she stays put." Helen walked in the room and found Lindsay sitting in bed, pale and frightened. 

As soon as she saw Helen, Lindsay began talking. "How's Bobby?"

Helen was taken aback. "Bobby? Is he here? I haven't seen him."

"I have to go, I have to see him," Lindsay said as she pushed the blankets and tried to swing her legs over the bed. 

Helen caught her legs and placed them back on the bed and pulled the covers up. She sat on the edge of the bed and rested one hand on each side of Lindsay's legs. "Lindsay, you're not going anywhere. The nurse said you have to stay laying down."

"I have to see him," Lindsay insisted, nearing hysterics.

"Why?" Helen asked, hoping to figure out what had happened. "Why is Bobby here?"

"It's my fault."

"What is?"

"He shot him."

"What?!" Helen exclaimed. "Who shot who?"

"Chris," Lindsay said, her voice breaking slightly. "Chris shot Bobby."

"Oh my God. Lindsay, honey calm down," Helen pulled her into a hug and held her there until Lindsay was slightly calmer. "Linds, what happened? How did Chris shoot Bobby?"

"I don't know!" Lindsay wailed, growing upset again. "I was getting ready for bed and we'd ordered a pizza. I heard the doorbell and when I came out, Chris was there. He was pointing a gun at Bobby. The next thing I knew, I was tackling Chris and the gun went off. I knocked Chris out and then I saw that Bobby was bleeding."

"Oh, babe," Helen said sympathetically. "Are you okay? How badly are you hurt? Is the baby okay?"

"I'm fine," Lindsay said firmly. "The doctor said it's just shock. I'll be fine. And the baby's fine too. But I need to see Bobby!"

Helen sighed. "How about we make a deal? I'll go check on Bobby for you and you stay here and try to rest. Okay?"

Lindsay sighed. Helen wasn't going to let her go and she knew it. "Fine. But hurry!"

"I will," Helen promised. She patted Lindsay's leg and left to go find Bobby.

Meanwhile, Bobby was in another room a few halls away with his father. Stephen had arrived right before Helen and found his only son not being a very good patient. While the doctor disinfected the gash, Bobby told his father what had happened. Bobby then began fidgeting anxiously on the bed. After the third time the doctor asked him to remain still, Stephen placed a concerned hand on his son's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Bobby?"

"I have to see Lindsay, Dad. She was so cold, she was shaking. I think she was in shock. I have to find her and make sure she's okay. And the baby. I promised I'd keep them safe."

"You'll be able to see her in a little while, I'm sure," Stephen tried to calm Bobby.

"I can't wait, Dad. I have to make sure that she's okay now. If they just put a bandage on it, I'll come back and let them stitch me up. I swear."

"Bobby, you're staying right here," Stephen answered firmly. "I'll go find Lindsay and check on her for you. Okay?"

Bobby sighed in frustration. "Fine."

Stephen squeezed Bobby's good shoulder gently. "I'll be back in a few minutes." 

Stephen left and turned towards the admitting desk to ask where Lindsay was. When he got there, a woman with dark hair was there in front of him. 

"I need to know what room Bobby Donnell is in," she said. "He was brought in here about an hour ago, I think."

Stephen cleared his throat. "Why are you looking for my son's room?" he asked suspiciously.

Helen spun around and found herself looking into a pair of blue eyes that were very familiar. "He's a friend. And I'm trying to keep my best friend from hurting herself more by getting out of bed to check on him herself."

"Wait," Stephen said. "Do you mean Lindsay? Lindsay Dole?"

"Yes..." Helen answered slowly. "Oh, my God, you're Bobby's father. I didn't even realize what you'd said until just now! I'm sorry." She held out a hand. "I'm Helen Gamble."

"Stephen Donnell," he answered. "I'm actually on my way to see Lindsay now. Bobby's worried to death about her."

Helen nodded, understanding perfectly. "I practically had to hold Lindsay down to keep her from looking for him...how is he?"

"The doctors said he'll be fine. He'll have a scar, but there was no serious damage."

"Thank God," Helen answered with a sigh of relief.

"How's Lindsay?"

"She has a mild case of shock, but the baby's fine and the doctors say she will be too." Helen paused. "Why don't you go see her? She's in exam 3. You can update her on Bobby and I'll go tell him how she's doing."

Stephen nodded. "Good idea. Bobby's in exam 9. It's around the corner to the left, all the way down the hall, and make a right."

Helen smiled. "Thanks. Oh, make sure Lindsay stays in bed. The best way to treat shock is to keep her warm and laying down." 

Stephen nodded. "I'll make sure she follows orders."

"Thanks," Helen said. She left to go find Bobby while Stephen headed for Lindsay's room. She knocked and entered to find Bobby sitting, watching the door impatiently. He saw her and he brightened slightly.

"Helen! Have you seen Lindsay?

Helen laughed. "I'm happy to see you too, Bobby. Yes, I've seen Lindsay. She's worried about you. She sent me to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," Bobby insisted. "How is she? How's the baby?"

Helen patted his hand reassuringly. "They're fine. Lindsay has some shock, but the doctors said when it wears off she'll be perfectly fine."

"And the baby? She tackled him, Helen. She fought him, that can't be good for the baby."

"The baby's fine too."

Bobby breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly against his pillow. "Can I see her?"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It opened and Stephen stuck his head in. "Someone wanted to visit," he said with an apologetic smile to Helen. Stephen then opened the door all the way and wheeled in Lindsay, who was sitting in a wheelchair. 

Helen stared at Stephen in surprise. "What are you doing here? You promised that you'd make sure Lindsay stayed in bed!"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I convinced Stephen that it's worse for the baby and for me if I stay there, worried and stressed. He agreed."

Helen sighed and Lindsay wheeled herself up to Bobby's bed. Her smile was tremulous. "Hi," she said softly.

Bobby smiled and reached out, stroking the back of his knuckles down her cheek. "Hey," he whispered.

"How's your shoulder?" Lindsay asked worriedly.

"It's okay. They put a few stitches in it..."

"I'm sorry," Lindsay said, her eyes filling with tears. She was so happy that Bobby was okay, but terrified that he blamed her.

"Sorry for what?" Bobby asked, his brow furrowing.

"It's my fault he shot you," Lindsay whispered.

"No, Lindsay it's not your fault," Bobby said. 

"He was my ex-boyfriend," she argued. "You were trying to protect the baby and me from him...if I hadn't been staying with you, you wouldn't be hurt."

Bobby shook his head. "When you came in, he was aiming at my head. You risked hurting yourself and the baby for me, Linds. He was going to kill me, but you stopped him. He barely grazed my shoulder. How are you?"

"I feel okay. Are you in pain?"

Bobby smiled slightly. "They gave me vicodin. I'm not in any pain."

Lindsay nodded, feeling a little better. "I'm glad."

Helen took the back of Lindsay's chair and pulled her away. "Okay, you've seen him. Now back to bed. The nurse said that you should stay in bed."

"Helen, I'm fine," Lindsay objected. "I want to stay here."

"Wait a sec," Bobby said. He scooted over in the bed and patted the space next to him. "Hop up."

Lindsay grinned and stood, carefully climbing onto the bed. She immediately curled against Bobby's side, her right hand resting over his heart. Feeling the beat of it beneath her palm reassured her that Bobby was, in fact, alright. 

Bobby tucked his uninjured right arm around her and stroked her stomach with a smile. "You're both alright? Really?"

Lindsay nodded. "The doctor says we're both fine." Her stomach growled then and Bobby laughed. 

"And apparently hungry."

"We'll go get dinner," Helen volunteered for herself and Stephen. Bobby and Lindsay looked like they could use some privacy. "What do you want?"

"I could still handle pizza," Bobby said. "What about you, Linds?"

"Pizza sounds good."

"What on it?" Helen asked, hoping for plain cheese. 

Lindsay smiled, slightly evilly. "Mushrooms and sausage."

Helen wrinkled her nose. "Mushrooms?! Ew, Linds! That's a fungus!"

"Mmmm, fungus," Lindsay teased.

Helen was turning slightly green. "I'll order plain cheese for myself."

"How about cinnamon sticks?" Lindsay asked hopefully.

Helen laughed. "Yeah, we can get those too. Do you want to come with me, Mr. Donnell?"

Stephen nodded and they left the room with firm instructions to both to stay in bed. Once they were gone, Lindsay curled tighter to Bobby and he held her. After a few minutes, he felt her trembling slightly and looked down to see Lindsay crying.

"Lindsay, honey what's wrong?" Bobby whispered worriedly.

"I was so scared," she whispered. "I heard the gun shot and saw you fall and I was sure that you were dead and I couldn't stop to check because he would have killed me...I thought I'd killed you!"

"You saved me," Bobby corrected. "And you were so brave...you stopped him yourself. Which is a bit of a blow to Sir Bobby's ego. He was hoping to save Princess Lindsay, but she didn't need him. She saved herself."

"She needs him," Lindsay whispered. "She wouldn't have been able to stand up to the evil wizard without him. She did it to save him." Lindsay paused. "You're sure you're not in pain?"

"I promise," Bobby assured her.

"And you're going to be okay? You'll be able to use your arm okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll have a scar, but I've heard that girls find scars impressive."

"Really?" Lindsay asked, laughing slightly. "Where did you hear that?"

"It's something all us guys know," Bobby answered with a smile. "I have a football scar on my knee that you'd love."

Lindsay giggled. "I've seen it, remember?"

"How about from when I had my appendix out when I was 12?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Scars might be impressive to some girls, but not scars from surgery that most children have!"

"Right, you were in awe, you know it," Bobby teased as he hugged her tighter.

Lindsay shook her head but snuggled closer. She rested her right hand on his stomach and Bobby was able to move his left arm enough without hurting it that he could cover her hand with his. He began to play with her fingers slightly as they laid together, both just happy that the other wasn't badly hurt.

Outside in the hall, Helen and Stephen turned the corner and stopped by a bank of pay phones. After Helen placed her order for two pizzas, one with mushrooms (blech! she thought) and sausage and one with plain cheese, Stephen looked at her, then back towards the room.

"I wonder if they know," he said softly.

"Know what?" Helen asked. 

"That they're in love," Stephen answered. 

Understanding dawned on Helen's face and she nodded, smiling slightly. "I don't think so. They're operating under the guise of friends right now. I hope for Lindsay's sake, if nothing else, they don't figure it out for awhile."

Stephen turned quickly. "Why not? Bobby worships her..."

"I know," Helen interrupted. "But I've known Lindsay for a long time. She won't be ready to get into a new relationship for awhile. Especially after the disaster with Chris."

"Chris?" Stephen asked. "The man who shot Bobby? He was her boyfriend?"

Helen turned to face Stephen with a puzzled look on her face. "Bobby didn't tell you?"

"No, what?"

Helen sighed. "Chris Kelton was Lindsay's boyfriend. About a six weeks ago, he came to the office late at night and started hitting Lindsay." Helen drew a shaky breath and told Stephen about everything else that had happened. When she was finished, Stephen looked at her with sorrow etched on his face.

"I should have recognized the signs," he murmured softly.

Helen's brow furrowed. "None of us did and we've known her for years. You couldn't have expected yourself to Mr. Donnell, you just met her."

Stephen shook his head. "No. Bobby's mother...she was abused by a boyfriend. It was before I met her, but she was afraid to trust any man. I worked so hard to prove that I would never hurt her."

Helen smiled sympathetically. "Bobby's been good for her," she said softly. "She trusts him, at least as a friend. It'll take a long time for her to get over what Chris did to her. To both of them. I'm glad she can turn to Bobby though. She tries so hard to be strong all the time, she hates asking for help. I wish..." tears filled Helen's eyes. "I wish she'd told me sooner. Maybe I could have stopped all this, I could have protected her!"

Stephen laid a fatherly hand on Helen's shoulder. "One thing I learned from my wife, well one of many. She had to be ready to accept help first. You've done everything you can to help her."

Helen smiled slightly. "I'm prosecuting this one. That bastard'll regret ever laying a hand on Lindsay!"

Stephen frowned slightly. "Is that a good idea? With you being so close to it?"

Helen nodded firmly. "She's my best friend, the closest person in the world to me. I'll go at him harder than anyone else will. He's a DA, Mr. Donnell. I'm afraid that anyone else will see him as their co-worker or friend."

"I don't want him out again, Helen," Stephen said seriously. "I don't want him to ever have the chance to get near Lindsay or Bobby or the baby ever again...the baby, it's his, isn't it?"

Helen nodded sadly. "That's one thing I'm thankful for out of all of this, besides Lindsay finally being away from him. He won't get a chance to hurt the baby." She turned to Stephen and smiled. "And she has Bobby now. She won't hurt him Stephen. Even if she won't admit it yet, she loves him."

"He loves her, I can see it," Stephen answered. 

"I'm just afraid that if she realizes too soon that she loves him, she'll run. They're so great together...I'd rather have her wait and have the kind of life she deserves than miss out on something great because it came at the wrong time."

"If it's right, it'll work out," Stephen assured her. They stopped when they saw the pizza man walk in the doors and look around, confused. Stephen left to get drinks while Helen took the food into Bobby and Lindsay. The nurse came in while they were eating and said that they wanted to keep Lindsay overnight to monitor her. She balked, but Bobby refused to listen and promised he'd stay with her. Stephen left not long after that. He said he'd talk to them the next day when they were home. Helen took Bobby's keys to the apartment and promised to try to get everything cleaned up for them and that she'd pick them up the next morning. She hugged Lindsay tightly and kissed Bobby's cheek before leaving. 

Once they'd left, Lindsay sighed tiredly and snuggled into Bobby. "It seems hard to believe it's all over, doesn't it?"

Bobby glanced down at her worriedly. "Linds, you know that it's not really *all* over, don't you? There's still the trial..."

"I know," Lindsay said softly. "But can't we pretend it is? Just for tonight."

Bobby nodded. "Okay," he whispered. "What are you going to do now? I mean with the baby."

Lindsay sat up and gave him a strange look. "What do you mean what am I going to do? I'm going to get ready and I'm going to have my baby, just like I planned."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Bobby assured her. "I was just wondering. So you're going to be a single mom?"

Lindsay nodded. "Don't you think I can do it?"

"I know you can," Bobby assured her. "You'll be a great mom."

Lindsay laid down again. "I hope we get an early court date. I don't want Chris to even know I'm pregnant."

"You're three months though. Unless we go in a couple weeks, you'll be showing," Bobby pointed out.

"I know. But maybe..."

"Maybe," Bobby answered. "Let's not worry about it tonight. You need to rest."

"So do you," Lindsay pointed out. She sat up and carefully leaned over Bobby to brush a gentle kiss over his shoulder. "Good night. Thanks for staying with me."

"I wouldn't leave you," Bobby promised. "Night." When he felt Lindsay's breathing even out and he knew she was asleep, he added softly, "I love you."


End file.
